Identity and access management limits unauthorized access by controlling accounts and permissions; least privilege and MFA reduce breach impact.
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Background for this topic.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the set of processes and systems that create and manage digital identities, verify who or what is requesting access, and decide which resources it may use. It covers people, services, applications, and devices across their lifecycle, including account creation, role changes, and removal. Authentication establishes identity; authorization applies permissions.
IAM is a primary control against unauthorized access: stolen credentials, compromised service accounts, or excessive and abandoned permissions can expose systems and data or enable an attacker to move between them. Effective practice combines phishing-resistant multifactor authentication for sensitive access, least privilege through roles or attributes, prompt joiner–mover–leaver changes, and periodic access reviews. Centralized logs and alerts for unusual authentication or privilege changes support investigation, while carefully governed federation and machine identities prevent one compromised trust relationship from granting broad access.
Gartner's Pete Redshaw on Why the CISO or CRO Should Take the LeadCybersecurity, IAM, fraud and compliance will converge across financial institutions in the next five to six years. This transformation will follow a phased path, beginning with data integration, followed by tool alignment and eventually team restructuring.