Bixal Celebrates Identity Management Day, Champions Digital Identity Security
Editor’s note: This post originally ran on April 13, 2021, the inaugural Identity Management Day. This blog has been updated for 2022.
Bixal and our Security Team is proud to support the efforts of the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) to help spread awareness of identity management and digital identity security as an Industry Management Champion!
We are happy to celebrate Identity Management Day — a day that aims to inform about the dangers of casually or improperly managing and securing digital identities by raising awareness, sharing best practices and leveraging the support of vendors in the identity security space — the second Tuesday each April.
What is Identity Management?
Identity management, also referred to as Identity and Access Management (IAM), is the discipline for managing access to resources inside an organization. The term can be used collectively to refer to the set of policies, processes and tools that the organization implements to verify people’s identities and to ensure people have the appropriate level of access to organizational resources.
The word “identity” has many meanings. Identity can be the way we perceive or define ourselves, a physical identifier (e.g., a personal identification card — a state identification or driver’s license) or passport. Identity can also be something you may not even think much about, like an online social media profile.
Why is Identity Management Important?
Our digital identities and the credentials that protect them define how we work, interact with each other, access technology, execute transactions and so much more. As we navigate the web, whether for personal or professional use, every day we’re interacting with some type of authentication mechanism.
For example, we must enter our username and password to access email. This authentication process, which verifies identity, is necessary to provide access to emails and the information therein. This may seem like a simple example, however, identity management is essential to maintain data integrity and privacy, and is the reason these processes are in place to protect the data and information of you and your organization.
According to Julie Smith, Executive Director of the IDSA, mitigating the risks associated with protecting your digital identity requires four steps:
- Understand that identity management and security is a challenge many people and organizations are failing at and that cyber attackers exploit this fact.
- Be aware that we must do a better job managing and securing identities and the access levels associated with them.
- Use technology solutions available to strengthen identity and access management.
- Follow the policies and procedures provided for individuals and organizations.
As technology evolves and the processes change, new mechanisms will evolve. It is essential that organizations stay abreast of these changes to continue leveraging identity management best practices.
How is Bixal Implementing Identity Management?
At Bixal, we add a layer of authentication protection by implementing a Single Sign-On (SSO) system backed with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). These systems have proven to reduce user vulnerability and increase safety and protection levels, not only for individuals, but also for organizations.
SSO allows Bixalers to authenticate once, then grants access to multiple authorized services, software and data from a single credential. In addition to using SSO, to be able to fully authenticate, our employees must log in using MFA, which allows users to authenticate the system by identifying their person in a minimum of two ways. For example, using something you know (a password) and something you own (a mobile device) to gain full access.
What are Identity Management Best Practices?
The IDSA has created a great resource with a list of Identity and Asset Management Best Practices that you can use both personally and professionally. Bixal highly recommends reading these best practices and descriptions in more detail. You will also find different blogs within the list addressing some of these practices.
Bixal encourages everyone to #BeIdentitySmart, practice good cyber hygiene and secure digital identities. We hope you will join us in bringing visibility and transparency about identity management best practices to the broader online community.
Happy Identity Management Day!
