Modern Access Security

Hello, I’m İlker. I work in the Identity and Access Management solutions team. Today, I’m joined by Özgün from Cyberg Türkiye. We’ve worked together on many successful projects for various clients. Welcome back, Özgün. Thank you. Can you tell us a little about yourself? I’ve been working as a solutions engineer at Cyberg for 6 years. Before that, I worked for almost 10 years with different manufacturers, mostly on PEM and Access Management solutions. As you know, in the last 5-10 years, traditional access methods for users have begun to change. With the development of technology, the concept of Workforce Identity has emerged. What is Workforce Identity? Can you tell us a little about it? Let’s call it Workforce Identity Security. As I mentioned, it has taken shape somewhat with the changes that have occurred in recent years. Now, employees’ daily access doesn’t have to be from the same devices or the same locations. Therefore, a perspective based solely on network security or endpoint security may not be sufficient. We’re actually talking a bit about the concept of perimeter security. We can think of it as a perspective that secures all types of user identities, not limited to concepts like endpoints or networks. At Cyberg, we have had solutions related to this since 2020. We offer these both as a standalone platform and as complementary functions for our more widely known authorized access solution, PEM. Generally, applications like MFA, IEM, or VPN are used for these issues. Aren’t these applications sufficient? What makes Workforce Identity different from these applications? Yes, the concepts you mentioned certainly have their place. However, we shouldn’t limit identity security to just these areas. For example, browser security, endpoint permissions, or personal accounts used by employees for work can also be evaluated within the framework of Workforce Identity Security. Another point I want to address here is the silo effect. Even if very successful integrated management, PAM, or governance projects are run within themselves, if these disciplines don’t move forward with a common program or a common goal, the data breaches or unauthorized access we mentioned can still occur. For programs to be successful, an integrated identity security platform is actually quite critical. Earlier, when discussing Workforce Identity, we talked about all types of identities. We mentioned user access, or Human Identity. But would you like to talk a little about non-human identities, whether they are used in IT infrastructure applications or in the cloud? When we say non-human or machine identity, we are actually encompassing all identities other than real users. This includes traditional secrets or, as you mentioned, identities held on cloud platforms. Machine identity is somewhat exempt from the security measures applied to user identities. In other words, it’s practically impossible to set up multi-factor authentication for accessing an application. Therefore, it’s an attractive target for attackers. According to our research, organizations have an average of 80 machine identities for every real user identity. Therefore, we can say that this issue will actually become even more important in the future. Many of our customers have been using the solutions we offer for both Secret Management and DevOps for many years. With VENF, which we recently added to our portfolio, we now cover certificate security and lifecycle management. Considering that the maximum certificate validity period will be reduced to 47 days in the coming years, we think that this renewal process or PKI security will actually be discussed more frequently. Yes, as you said, certificate management seems to be a very busy topic in the coming period. Thank you for the information, Özgün. Thank you for watching us. See you in our next broadcast.

Identity and Access Management: Modern Solutions and Future Trends

Identity and access management has become increasingly important in today’s digital world. With the rapid advancement of technology, traditional access methods are being replaced by more modern and flexible solutions. In this context, the Workforce Identity concept stands out. Employees’ access needs are no longer limited to fixed devices and locations. Therefore, identity and access management strategies must adapt to this change. In this article, we will discuss modern solutions and future trends in identity and access management.

What is Workforce Identity?

Workforce Identity is an approach that makes employee identity and access management more flexible and secure. While traditional security methods focus only on network or endpoint security, Workforce Identity aims to secure all types of user identities. This approach allows employees to access from different devices and locations.

New Approaches in Identity Security

Identity security is not limited to applications such as MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication), IEM (Identity and Access Management), or VPN. Browser security, endpoint permissions, and employee personal accounts should also be considered within this framework. Therefore, identity security strategies should be addressed with a more comprehensive and integrated approach.

Non-Human Identity: Machine Identities

Non-human or machine identity encompasses all identities other than those of real users. These identities may be exempt from traditional security measures and therefore become an attractive target for attackers. According to research, there are an average of 80 machine identities for each real user identity. This demonstrates the importance of securing machine identities.

Certificate Management and Security

Certificate management is a crucial part of identity and access management. In the near future, certificate expiration dates are expected to be shorter. This will lead to more frequent certificate renewal processes and PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) security. Therefore, certificate management strategies must adapt to this change.

Integrated Solutions in Identity and Access Management

Identity and access management projects should be addressed with an integrated approach. A common program and objective should be pursued without creating silos between different disciplines. This is critical to preventing data breaches and unauthorized access.

Future of Identity and Access Management

In the future, identity and access management will become even more important. With the advancement of technology, new security threats and needs will emerge. Therefore, identity and access management strategies must be continuously updated and improved. Professionals working in this field must adapt quickly to changing trends and needs.

Identity and access management is one of the cornerstones of security in the digital world. Modern solutions and future trends require the continuous development and renewal of this field. To ensure the safety of employees and organizations, identity and access management strategies must be carefully planned and implemented.