Brief: Reframe The Business Case For Identity And Access Management In Security Terms

The responsibility and the budget for identity and access management (IAM) often reside with a number of different business and technology management teams. Historically, the easy business justification for IAM investment came from its impact on administrative operational efficiency — for example, help desk agents spend less time resetting passwords, and automated access recertification campaigns save managers and application owners time. For security and risk (S&R) professionals, IAM has become crucial to improving the company's overall security posture. However, to gain budget and increased control for a function not always under their direct control, S&R pros will have to reframe the business case for IAM in security terms and make a direct connection to the CIO's top technology initiatives. This report presents the most important security benefits of IAM in its component areas — access management and identity management — to help S&R professionals build a solid case for implementing IAM.