Seven habits of highly effective identity management

By Bilhar Mann, Computer Associates International Inc.

August 12, 2004 12:00 PM ET

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Computerworld - The emergence of Web-based technologies has forced organizations to change the way they conduct business. They must find new ways and new tools to securely control access to corporate resources and manage the security risks associated with the escalating volume of user administration.
To be successful, companies must integrate their information systems and combine disparate technologies, particularly as a result of business mergers and acquisitions. To accommodate these changes, the IT department must administer a large number of heterogeneous systems and applications, manage a huge influx of new users and adjust their privileges accordingly. To add to this complexity, many organizations have implemented point security solutions, which are often time-consuming and costly for the IT department to integrate and customize.
Integrated identity management systems help IT managers reduce risks, manage user administration demands and adapt to new regulations. Identity management systems with the right requirements can help companies realize benefits across the business, from employees and partners to customers.
The following are seven "must-haves" to look for when selecting the best identity management system for your organization.
1. Role-based user provisioning
User provisioning is the process for managing user identities enterprisewide and beyond. User provisioning encompasses the following:

Types of users an organization will manage

Systems, applications and other business resources users need access to

Levels of access to those resources

Creation, update and deletion of user accounts

Measurement of administrative overhead associated with user management

Metrics for success

User provisioning provides the proper resources to users at minimal cost. It manages a user's work cycle, including things such creating accounts on different systems, extending access to external services and temporarily suspending access or permanently revoking accounts. Effective user provisioning reduces security risks, including weak passwords, and minimizes obstacles to user productivity. User provisioning also provides centralized management capabilities and automation via role-based account creation and workflow access rights to business resources.
2. Managing user identity
Organizations can identify different types of users according to their business functions: employees, customers, suppliers, partners and more. Each user within these groups owns a separate online "identity" that can be managed efficiently to reduce risks and lower business costs.
It's far easier to manage a single user identity than multiple identities for one user. Identities can be managed according to users' needs, enabling the organization to deliver quality and increased customer satisfaction.
Internally, user provisioning tools are implemented by the IT department and integrated with the human resources application. Particular user roles should have predefined access rights. When an employee joins a specific role, his access permissions to business

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