Identity Management Day
Today, we celebrate Identity Management Day. What is that you might ask? Identity Management Day is about raising awareness of the importance of identity management and securing digital identities and sharing best practices to help organizations and consumers be identity smart.
Identity-related breaches are ubiquitous and preventable, whether you are an individual or a Fortune 500 organization. Held on the second Tuesday of April, this holiday aims to inform individuals and businesses about the dangers of casually or improperly managing and securing digital identities by raising awareness, sharing best practices, and leveraging the support of vendors in the identity security space.
The word “identity” has many meanings—it can be the way that we perceive or define ourselves, a physical identifier like a driver’s license or passport, or it can be something you may not even think much about. In a world defined by our use of technology, how we are identified digitally is important. Our digital identities and the credentials that protect them define how we work, interact with each other, access technology, execute transactions, and so much more. For organizations, Identity and Access Management (IAM) “is the discipline that enables the right individuals to access the right resources at the right times for the right reasons,” according to Gartner. Weak or improper identity management increases risk. The vast majority of data breaches making headlines are the result of poor identity management.
These breaches often leverage weak identity management, such as weak or previously compromised passwords, not leveraging multi-factor authentication and single sign-on or leaving standing privileges open. For consumers, identity management is the discipline of protecting our personal digital identities as we communicate, shop, and transact our daily lives online. For individuals, poor password management and careless online behavior can lead to compromised accounts or identity theft. These incidents occur when we use weak passwords, fail to enable two-factor authentication, or carelessly click on malicious links.
So, take a moment today and educate yourself and promote identity management practices for all individuals and organizations.