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Develop a User Management Strategy

Users are the number one security risk. Since you can't operate without them, you'd best be able to control them.

More Details

Your Challenge

  • Users are not hired to be security or compliance experts, but their daily actions can have significant ramifications on enterprise security and compliance efforts. Enterprises simply can't afford these headaches.
  • User Management technologies include a wide range of solutions, with new niches opening up and new players entering the market all the time. Keeping current with all these offerings can overwhelm even the most seasoned IT professionals.
  • Ensuring solid security and compliance means building a comprehensive and well-thought out User Management strategy, and doing it without breaking the bank.

Our Advice

Critical Insight
  • Identity & Access Management is the pinnacle of User Management technologies as it rolls up the functionality of most other tools. If your enterprise is considering implementing at least two dedicated User Management tools (Single Sign-On, Automated Provisioning, Activity Monitoring and Reporting) you may realize cost savings with a dedicated IAM solution instead.
  • Though not strictly a solution to manage users per se, Multi-Factor Authentication integrates well with most User Management solutions, particularly those that are focused on user access (Password Management and Single Sign-On), ensuring a higher level of assurance that authenticating users are who they say they are.
  • Tools are all well and good, but at the end of the day, they support the policies and procedures that you put in place; you must take the time to establish these process aspects of your User Management strategy, or the tools you put in place will have nothing to enforce.
Impact and Result
  • User Management technologies often have overlapping capabilities, and don’t come cheap, in some cases costing into the hundreds of dollars per user. Understanding which capabilities are required and those which are not, can allow enterprises to achieve appropriate protection, without investing in duplicate or unnecessary capabilities.

Get to Action

  1. Get an overview of User Management

    Understand the value of an investment in this key area of IT security.

  2. Determine the difference between various UM technologies

    Establish a UM investment strategy.

  3. Identify vendors and solicit information

    Conduct an apples-to-apples comparison of UM tools.

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Develop a User Management Strategy

Users are the number one security risk. Since you can't operate without them, you'd best be able to control them.

Tags

security, SOX, compliance, HIPAA, IAM, Users, GLBA, FERPA, Identity and Access Management, employee monitoring, password management, SSO, single sign on, password synchronization, PIPEDA, user management, user management strategy, user provisioning, user activity monitoring, PIPEHDA, ums

Related Content

  1. Storyboard: Develop a User Management Strategy
  2. Create & Maintain an Effective User Management Strategy
  3. User Management Strategy RFI Template
  4. Access Request Form
  5. System Access Tracking Tool

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See how all the steps you need to take come together, with tools and advice to help with each task on your list.

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Users are the number one security risk. Since you can't operate without them, you'd best be able to control them.

Companies Who Helped

  • Corporation of the City of London, Ontario
  • Empowered Networks
  • Brockville General Hospital
  • Ecology & Environment, Inc.
  • Acosta, Inc.

Solution Road Map

Other Solution Sets in Security Management Technologies
1. Develop a User Management Strategy
Users are the number one security risk. Since you can't operate without them, you'd best be able to control them.
2. Vendor Landscape Plus: Security Information & Event Management
Simplify compliance and IT risk management with Security Information & Event Management tools.
3. Develop an Up-to-Date Active Directory Strategy, and Implement
Seeing the trees in the Forest; optimize administrative operations in Windows environments with Active Directory 2008 R2.
4. Vendor Landscape: Annual Security Roundup
The best solution providers are those that do everything well.
View the full Solution Road Map