Continuous monitoring
Continuous monitoring, in the context of identity access management (IAM), refers to the ongoing and real-time process of observing, analysing, and assessing the activities and behavior of users, systems, and applications within an organisation’s IT environment. The primary goal of continuous monitoring is to ensure that access rights and permissions are consistently aligned with business requirements and security policies. This process involves continuous vigilance to identify and respond to potential security threats, policy violations, and unusual user behavior.
Reasons to implement continuous monitoring:
Enhanced Security
Continuous monitoring helps detect unauthorised or suspicious activity in real time. By identifying potential security threats early, organisations can take immediate action to prevent security breaches and minimise their impact.
Compliance
Many industries and regulations require organisations to maintain a certain level of security and privacy. Continuous monitoring helps ensure compliance with various regulatory frameworks by providing evidence of security controls and data protection measures.
Risk management
By closely monitoring access and user patterns, organisations can identify and assess potential risks related to user behaviour or system vulnerabilities. This information enables them to effectively prioritise and implement risk management strategies.
Fast Response
Real-time monitoring enables organisations to quickly respond to security incidents. This reduces the time it takes to identify and mitigate threats, reducing potential damage and costs.
Internal Threat Detection
Continuous monitoring can help detect internal threats, where employees or authorised users abuse their access privileges. Unusual or unexpected behavior can trigger alerts, allowing organisations to investigate and address potential internal risks.
Customisable Access Control
Continuous monitoring enables organisations to dynamically adjust access rights and permissions based on user behaviour and changing business demands. This customisable access control method ensures that users have the appropriate level of access at all times.
Auditing and Reporting
Continuous monitoring generates a wealth of data that can be used for auditing and reporting purposes. This information provides insight into user activities, system performance, and compliance status.
Preventing Credential Abuse
Continuous monitoring helps identify abnormal login patterns that could indicate credential abuse, such as brute force attacks or unauthorised access attempts.
Data Loss Prevention
Organisations can use continuous monitoring to detect data exfiltration attempts and prevent sensitive information from leaving the network.
Improving IAM strategies
Insights gained from continuous monitoring can be used to refine IAM strategies. Organisations can fine-tune access policies, update security controls, and implement best practices based on observed situations.