The truth is that organizations that don't invest in a strong IAM program pay for it with all the hidden costs associated with their outdated IAM practices—wasted time due to manual processes, an avalanche of IT helpdesk tickets related to access issues, and costly compliance violations. This is before you factor in the potential cost of a future breach.

To get your executive leaders on board, you'll have to show how maturing your IAM program will not only add value to the business but also pave the way for future growth and improvement.

The Symptoms of Low IAM Maturity

Demonstrating the value of improving your IAM program can be challenging without first understanding your organization's IAM maturity level and gaps in achieving the next level. A low level of IAM maturity manifests in several ways, hindering your organization's security, efficiency, and compliance posture.

Some examples of common gaps that we uncover in our client's assessments are:

• New employees face significant delays in accessing important applications due toslow and manual provisioning processes.
• Difficulty enforcing access controls and assigning user entitlements results in unclear access privileges. Overprivileged accounts pose security risks, while underprivileged accounts cause workflow disruptions.
• Conflicting policies and procedures between departments cause confusion and non-compliance, resulting in security gaps and administrative challenges.
• Limited visibility into user activity and entitlements hinders the timely detection of suspicious behavior and entitlement assignment errors, increasingthe organization's exposure to insider threats and data theft.
• Poor integration between identity threat detectionand your incident response functions result in slow andineffective response to security threats. Your IAM program should be able to help you detect compromised accounts and revoke access in real-time, reducing the number and impact of security incidents.

These are just a few of the symptoms of low IAM maturity. These issues can create a vicious cycle, hindering user productivity, increasing security risks, and making it difficult to justify further investments in IAM solutions when the current solutions are deemed ineffective.

The Hidden and Real Costs of Low IAM Maturity

Operating with a low-maturity IAM program leads to inefficiencies and vulnerabilities, leaving you with hidden weaknesses that can significantly impact the organization's business goals.

Let's consider the costs of failing to mature and modernize your IAM program and having these gaps lead to a business-impacting event:

These hidden costs underscore the importance of ensuring that your organization is protected by a strong identity security program.

Investing in an IAM maturity assessment and proactively enhancing your security posture can mitigate these risks and safeguard your organization's financial well-being and brand reputation.

Charting Your Path to IAM Maturity

KeyData specializes in IAM. We have worked with clients throughout North America, successfully leading over 1,000 IAM projects from top providers. Our certified technicians and engineers are experts at developing and deploying the right suite of tools and services to meet your needs. We have extensive knowledge of all the domains of IAM, from IGA, PAM, and CIAM to CIEM. We can give you the mature IAM program you need to move your business forward.

We don't just point out problems – we help you solve them.

KeyData's IAM maturity assessment goes beyond simply evaluating your current state. We use the insights we gain from our assessment to create a customized roadmap that propels your organization toward a higher level of IAM maturity.

One-size-fits-all doesn't work for IAM. This roadmap will be your personalized blueprint for success. It prioritizes actionable recommendations based on the specific gaps we identified in your assessment. These recommendations could include:

• Automating user lifecycle management to remove human error from onboarding, offboarding, and access reviews.
• Streamlining access provisioning processes by implementing automated workflows and self-service portals.
• Enforcing granular access controls with conditional access controls and least privilege principles.
• Standardizing policies and procedures across departments to ensure consistency and compliance.
• Enhancing user activity monitoring to gain real-time visibility into access patterns, privileged users, and anomalous activities.

The roadmap also outlines a clear path to reach your maturity goals, with prioritized tasks, defined timelines, and resource costing. This ensures a focused and efficient approach to addressing your IAM challenges.

Start Maximizing the Business Value of your IAM Program Today

Recent research has found that transitioning to automated provisioning could result in a staggering 300 percent ROI and savings of $3.5 million over three years for a company with 10,000 employees.

The business case for strong IAM protocols supported by efficient automation is compelling, and the evidence is clear - this will significantly reduce your risk and boost your bottom line.

While implementing a robust IAM program requires an investment of time and capital, the benefits represent a significant value add for your business, protecting it now and into the future.

Don't wait until after a crisis. KeyData specializes in IAM. We help our clients reduce IT security costs while improving security and efficiency. Contact us today to schedule your IAM assessment.