Maximize Identity Security by Maximizing Automation

Identities—human and machine—are increasing at a staggering pace. ESG research shows that the median expected growth in identities to be managed over the next 12 months will double.¹ To meet the security needs of such growth requires a highly automated approach. Otherwise, it would be impossible to maintain continuous compliance with policies and regulations, build a zero trust framework for users and machines, and ensure rapid response to the high-volume of routine and anomalous events.

Automation is an essential element of a modern Identity Security platform—to simplify cybersecurity, make security operations centers more efficient, and support vital business initiatives such as digital transformation and hybrid work. With a holistic, unified solution, organizations reduce IT overhead and free up resources to focus on strategic tasks by eliminating burdensome coding and scripting efforts (low-code/no-code automation flows). 

Nearly a third of decision-makers surveyed said automating identity governance has had one of the biggest positive impacts on their ability to mitigate identity-related threats, according to Enterprise Strategy Group.² Because of its value, automation was identified as one of the four tenets of Identity Security, along with unified tools, integration with other security solutions, and continuous threat detection and response.³

In evaluating the automation capabilities of Identity Security platforms, there are certain key characteristics to consider. First and foremost, make sure the Identity Security platform is centered on intelligent privilege controls. It should unify identity and access management, privileged access management, and identity governance and administration into a holistic solution that also incorporates continuous threat detection and prevention. 

With these capabilities in a single platform, organizations can seamlessly secure access for all identities and flexibly automate the entire identity lifecycle. A holistic Identity Security platform enables automated security alerts and recommended actions while eliminating manual and duplicative processes. Cybersecurity and SOC teams can respond with greater speed, intelligence and agility to security incidents.

In the Identity Security Maturity Model, ESG identified nine key workflows where automation has a significant impact in reducing organizational risk and increasing agility.⁴ These are: 

1. Provisioning and deprovisioning of employee accounts.
2. Provisioning and deprovisioning of third-party accounts.
3. Provisioning and deprovisioning of customer accounts.
4. Provisioning and deprovisioning of non-human accounts.
5. Provisioning and deprovisioning of development and infrastructure resources.
6. Review and approval of user access requests.
7. Review and approval of endpoint least-privilege access policies.
8. Alert prioritization and remediation for identity-related incidents.
9. Audit reporting and remediation for noncompliant credentials.

Organizations that have been strategic and purpose-driven in their investments in Identity Security have leveraged these automation capabilities to achieve clear business and security benefits versus organizations that have lagged behind the maturity curve.

For “transformative” organizations with mature Identity Security programs, benefits have included fewer successful identity-related attacks, along with much greater confidence that their teams have made the correct identity-related decisions. For example, with the CyberArk Identity Security platform, organizations can automatically adjust access privileges for a user based on threat intelligence data to ensure that sensitive resources are protected.  

The confidence level of transformative organizations was 90%—versus just 38% for companies that have lagged behind in integrating and automating Identity Security tools across their environments. The benefits of automation are clear, and the urgency to move forward with a strategic plan for maximizing automation in an Identity Security platform is accelerating. With identities growing exponentially, now is the time for organizations to get ahead of the curve.

For more information on how your organization can benefit from modernizing with a highly automated Identity Security platform, please review the articles and resources on this site and visit CyberArk.

¹“Identity Security Maturity Model Survey,” CyberArk and Enterprise Strategy Group, September 2022
² Ibid.
³”The Holistic Identity Security Maturity Model,” CyberArk and Enterprise Strategy Group, February 2023
⁴ Ibid.