Identity Sprawl

Posted by mctracy On September 23, 2022

According to Radiant Logic, an enterprise identity data fabric company, identity sprawl and inherent identity management challenges are caused by a lack of action, not by a lack of awareness, as presented in their “Identity Data Management: Roadblock or Business Enabler” report at the Gartner Identity and Access Management (IAM) Summit.

Identity sprawl can be defined as “rapid growth of enterprise identity silos, and the explosion of user information, attributes, and credentials that accompanies it.” (Cyber Magazine).

“This acceleration results in greater security and compliance risks, as identity information spreads across a complex web of legacy, hybrid, and multi-cloud systems. The lack of visibility and control across all these systems creates the opportunity for identity-driven cyber-attacks—offering more opportunities for misuse or negligence by individuals (employees, former employees, contractors, partners) and opening the door for cybercriminals to take advantage and move laterally throughout an organization.” (Cyber Magazine).

It can be said that there is an identity sprawl and identity management crisis, as many findings have proven.

“In the ‘Dimensional Research-conducted survey’, around 1,009 security professionals revealed that identity sprawl is one critical obstacle to overcome as businesses seek to optimize their overall cyber-security posture. Half of all companies use over 25 different systems to manage access rights.” (IT Security Wire).

Similarly, the report from Radiant Logic lists reasons for this obstacle and why it has not been addressed as it should be as a cyber security risk.

“The report found that an alarming 67% of respondents know they have identity sprawl, but don’t know how to fully address it. And although 58% rated identity management of vital importance, 61% stated that their business views identity management as too time-intensive and costly to manage effectively on an ongoing basis. Respondents reported the most common negative impacts as increased technical debt (66%) and negative productivity and morale (64%) among employees.” (Cyber Magazine).

Businesses spend time, resources, and funding on other cyber security weak points, however ignore identity sprawl and identity management issues.

“Around 94 percent of organizations have deployed bots to keep an eye on and prevent increasing ransomware (66 percent) and phishing (52 percent) incidents. Organizations need to chalk out a clear plan to bolster business resiliency to invest in enhanced identity and governance administration easily (IGA) and privileged access management (PAM) solutions to secure and govern growing identity ecosystems.” (IT Security Wire).

Have any questions about cyber-security? Responsive Technology Partners is the leading cyber-security expert in the Athens, Metter, Milledgeville, Vidalia, and Atlanta, Georgia areas. We also have locations in Tampa, Florida, Roanoke, Virginia, and Raleigh South Carolina. Service offerings include I.T. support, cyber-security and compliance, telephony, cloud services, cabling, access control, and camera systems. Our company’s mission is to provide world-class customer service through industry leading I.T. solutions that make every customer feel as if they are our only customer. Please visit our website to learn more: https://www.responsivetechnologypartners.com/.