Choosing the right Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution is essential for securing digital identities and managing access control in increasingly complex IT environments.
How can organizations find a solution that balances seamless integration, scalability to accommodate growth, and user-friendly experiences while ensuring robust security?
We asked 7 experts to share their insights on selecting an effective IAM solution.
Alex Simons, Corporate Vice President, Identity & Network Access Program Management, Microsoft: When selecting an Identity and Access Management solution, CISOs should prioritize solutions that are open standards-based and align with a Zero Trust security model, including continuous identity verification and adaptive access controls that use real-time threat intelligence to make dynamic access decisions. Comprehensive visibility across identities, endpoints, and networks is essential, while seamless integration across the complete set of enterprise security tools enhances detection, response, and policy enforcement. These capabilities collectively establish a resilient trust fabric, securing access in today’s complex threat landscape. Read the full Q&A.
Arnab Bose, Chief Product Officer, Okta: Finding the right identity partner is about trust. The digital attack surface is growing larger and threat actors are using AI to scale their operations more easily, with identity-based attacks like phishing no longer being manual and expensive undertakings. Above all else, CISOs and other security decision makers are looking for IAM solutions they can count on to evolve along with the threat landscape. Read the full Q&A.
Wes Gyure, Executive Director of Security Product Management, IBM: One, find a solution with the latest authentication capabilities. The best technology today leverages passwordless, biometrics, and AI-powered, risk-based features. Two, ensure your solution has a ‘least privilege’ philosophy baked in. Users should have the minimum amount of access required to carry out their jobs — and nothing more. Three, choose a solution that includes robust compliance and measurement abilities. Monitoring and auditing user access and activity should be as painless and comprehensive as possible. Finally, choose a solution that enhances your existing tools, not one that mandates you replace existing parts of your IAM architecture. Read the full Q&A.
François Amigorena, Founder and CEO, IS Decisions: Look for a single IAM solution that can handle MFA and access management across on-premises systems, legacy apps, and cloud resources. Choose a platform that you can roll out across all end users and will easily adapt to changing numbers of users and devices. Opt for solutions that minimize friction for end users without sacrificing security. Look for single sign-on that doesn’t require logging into an SSO portal, and MFA policies that you can customize for different teams and contexts. Implement solutions that deliver visibility, continuous monitoring, and automatic responses to suspicious user behavior. Read the full Q&A.
Jay Reddy, Senior Technology Evangelist, ManageEngine: CISOs should envision IAM infrastructure as a dynamic ecosystem that spans cloud, on-premises, and future-ready frameworks, including decentralized identity protocols. Identity hygiene now means more than managing orphaned accounts. It’s about maintaining a clear ‘identity signal’ in an increasingly complex environment. Platforms should detect ‘identity entropy’—the gradual decay of identity integrity—and use self-healing mechanisms to maintain security. Consider how well the platform fuses identity intelligence, synthesizing behavioral patterns, risk signals, and business contexts into a unified security narrative. Anticipatory security, enabled by AI that can predict identity risks and adjust security postures in real-time, is key for an effective IAM solution. Read the full Q&A.
Duncan Godfrey, Chief Information Security Officer, Rippling: Adopting solutions that enable granular access controls, rather than relying solely on static roles and permissions, is essential for modern identity and access management. An effective IAM solution should enhance the user experience with features like Single Sign-On (SSO), while maintaining robust security, as poor usability often leads to the rise of shadow IT and policy non-compliance. It’s also crucial to choose a solution that is scalable and capable of handling an increasingly complex identity landscape. Understanding how your IAM solution manages data, integrates with your existing technology stack, and ensures compliance is critical. Lastly, look for tools that can evolve with emerging threats, incorporating advanced capabilities like AI-based anomaly detection. Read the full Q&A.
Brook Lovatt, Chief Product Officer, SecureAuth: First and foremost, don’t configure unsafe “fallback” pathways that enable attackers to circumvent your security. Leverage intelligent AI/ML risk technology to ensure that high-risk scenarios are always required to meet sufficient security standards. Opt for solutions offering adaptive authentication and support for phishing-resistant methods. Ensure the solution provides a seamless experience to encourage user adoption and mitigate the need for a fallback option. Verify compatibility with existing systems and applications to facilitate smooth deployment and lower TCO for the solution as authentication methods evolve and require update. Ensure the solution aligns with relevant data protection and privacy regulations. Read the full Q&A.
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