Identity and Access Management: The Security Control That Matters Most

By STS Consulting Group | Reading time: 7 minutes

If you could invest in only one security control, make it identity and access management (IAM). In a world of cloud services and remote work, identity is the new perimeter. Get it wrong, and nothing else you do matters much.

Here's what growing companies need to know about IAM—and how to get it right without enterprise-level complexity.

Why Identity Matters More Than Ever

In the traditional security model, we protected the network perimeter. Firewalls kept bad actors out. Once inside the network, users were largely trusted.

That model is obsolete. Your employees work from home, coffee shops, and airports. Your applications run in the cloud. Your data flows between SaaS platforms you don't control. There is no perimeter to defend.

Instead, every access request—whether from a user, application, or service—must be authenticated (proving identity) and authorized (confirming permission). Identity is the control point.

The statistics bear this out: identity-related attacks are involved in the majority of breaches. Stolen credentials, compromised accounts, and excessive permissions are how attackers get in and move around.

The Building Blocks of Modern IAM

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Users should authenticate once and access all their applications. This isn't just convenience—it's security. With SSO, you have one identity to secure and monitor instead of dozens scattered across different systems.

When employees leave, disabling one account disables access everywhere. Without SSO, you're playing whack-a-mole trying to find and disable accounts across every system they touched.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Passwords alone aren't enough. They get stolen through phishing, reused across sites, and compromised in breaches. MFA adds a second factor—something you have (like a phone) or something you are (like a fingerprint).

Not all MFA is equal. SMS-based codes are better than nothing but vulnerable to SIM swapping. Authenticator apps are better. Hardware security keys are best for high-value accounts.

Least Privilege Access

Users should have access only to what they need for their job—nothing more. This limits damage when credentials are compromised. An attacker who steals an accountant's password shouldn't be able to access engineering systems.

In practice, this means role-based access control (RBAC) with clearly defined roles, regular access reviews to remove unnecessary permissions, just-in-time access for privileged operations (granted when needed, revoked when done), and separation of duties for sensitive functions.

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Administrative accounts are the keys to the kingdom. They require extra protection: separate credentials from daily-use accounts, stronger authentication requirements, session monitoring and recording, just-in-time elevation rather than standing privileges, and regular rotation of service account credentials.

Common IAM Mistakes

Accumulation of access: Users change roles but keep old permissions. Over time, long-tenured employees have access to everything. Regular access reviews are essential.

Shared accounts: Team email addresses, shared service accounts with known passwords—these destroy accountability and persist after individuals leave.

Local accounts on cloud services: Every SaaS application with its own username/password is an account you might forget to disable. Centralize through SSO wherever possible.

Ignoring non-human identities: Service accounts, API keys, and automation credentials often have excessive permissions and never expire. They need governance too.

Getting Started: A Practical Roadmap

Phase 1 - Foundation: Implement a central identity provider with SSO. Enable MFA on all accounts. Establish a process for provisioning and deprovisioning access.

Phase 2 - Governance: Define roles and map them to access rights. Implement regular access reviews. Address orphaned and shared accounts.

Phase 3 - Advanced: Implement privileged access management. Add conditional access policies (considering location, device, risk signals). Extend governance to service accounts and API keys.

How We Help

Identity and access management is a cornerstone of our Cloud Security & Risk Reduction practice. We help growing companies implement IAM that's sophisticated enough to be effective but practical enough to maintain.

Our approach focuses on quick wins that deliver immediate security improvements, scalable architecture that grows with your organization, and practical governance processes your team will actually follow.

Ready to strengthen your identity security? Schedule a free consultation to assess your IAM posture.