{"id":3824,"date":"2023-09-20T10:52:23","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T14:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indigoconsulting.ca\/?p=3824"},"modified":"2024-01-31T18:22:09","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T23:22:09","slug":"maximizing-business-value-with-iam-maturity-assessment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indigoconsulting.ca\/fr\/blog\/maximizing-business-value-with-iam-maturity-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"How to maximize business value with an IAM maturity assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Global spending on Identity and Access Management (IAM) has continued to grow rapidly in recent years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Spending is projected to total <\/span>US$20.75 billion by the end of 2023<\/span><\/a>, up from $9.84 billion in 2019. While this is a strong sign of adoption, it\u2019s also crucial to underscore the importance of spending strategically to really drive value. IAM isn\u2019t something you\u2019ll inherently do well if you spend enough \u2014 spending must be tactful.<\/span><\/p>

Another study projects the <\/span>total market size for IAM will reach $34.52 billion by 2028<\/span><\/a>, an impressive CAGR of 14.5%. It\u2019s become clear organizations are seeing the potential of IAM to drive business value, making it well worth the time and resources.<\/span><\/p>

What\u2019s driving the rapid adoption of IAM technologies and services? Increasing awareness of compliance, evolving compliance requirements, and the need for strong cybersecurity are primary drivers behind IAM adoption.<\/span><\/p>

Assessing IAM Maturity<\/strong><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/h4>

IAM isn\u2019t a single technology, but an entire framework consisting of policies and technologies that work together to enhance how organizations manage identities. As a result, implementing and maturing an IAM program is a significant undertaking.<\/span><\/p>

Have you already implemented an IAM program? Assessing the program\u2019s maturity helps you identify how to strategically advance key areas to drive greater value. If you haven\u2019t yet deployed a program, it\u2019s still helpful to understand what determines a mature program.<\/span><\/p>

Gartner developed the below five categories to dictate how organizations can assess and enhance the maturity of IAM programs:<\/span><\/p>

  1. Engage and Support Stakeholders: <\/b>The CEO and other C-suite executives must be on board with implementing and enhancing an IAM program. Executive support allows for better decision-making, establishing accountability and ownership, and is crucial to delivering business value.<\/span><\/li>
  2. Manage the IAM Function:<\/b> This category focuses largely on the planning and reviewing phase, describing the development of an overarching vision, budget planning, and design architecture. Properly defining your specific IAM program is necessary for future governance and ongoing enhancement.<\/span><\/li>
  3. Manage Risk and Enable Trust:<\/b> Supporting risk management is central to a mature IAM program, which includes supporting cybersecurity risk management, fraud management, and compliance. Additionally, enabling workplace performance and fostering trusted relationships fall into this category.<\/span><\/li>
  4. Deliver IAM Operational Capabilities:<\/b> A central goal of IAM is to enhance capabilities, so this category encompasses practices with an operational focus. This category is where a lot of the nuts and bolts come together to establish identity authentication, life cycle management, managing access levels, and measuring functional performance.<\/span><\/li>
  5. Manage Talent and Workforce Strategy:<\/b> Every IAM program depends on engaging the workforce alongside having the right talent in place. Recruiting talent and training IT staff is crucial for ongoing management and refinement. Additionally, it\u2019s important to promote the culture shift to IAM, including providing training in new tools or systems.<\/span><\/li>
  6. \u00a0<\/li><\/ol>

    You can see how these categories are generally a linear flow, from planning to execution. Still, it\u2019s important to note that most organizations don\u2019t check all the boxes in one category before moving on to the next.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

    Instead, organizations evaluate their specific business goals and capabilities and then return to further mature the program after implementation. Prioritizing exactly what steps to undertake when maturing in your program is of the utmost importance.<\/span><\/p>

    Common Top Priorities in IAM Maturity<\/strong><\/p>

    What are the most important elements of IAM maturity? Gartner indicates the top three and next four activities recommended to establish a mature IAM program. We\u2019ll include the category numbers from the above section to demonstrate where these activities are in the overall process.<\/span><\/p>

    The top three maturity activities are:<\/span><\/p>

    1. Deliver business value <\/span>(Engage and Support Stakeholders)<\/span><\/i><\/li>
    2. Develop vision and strategy for <\/span>(Manage the IAM Function)<\/span><\/i><\/li>
    3. Manage privileged access <\/span>(Delivery IAM Operational Capabilities)<\/span><\/i><\/li><\/ol>

      Once those are complete, the next four activities are:<\/span><\/p>

      1. Design architecture (<\/span>Manage the IAM Function)<\/span><\/i><\/li>
      2. Enable compliance <\/span>(Manage Risk and Enable Trust)<\/span><\/i><\/li>
      3. Manage access <\/span>(Delivery IAM Operational Capabilities)<\/span><\/i><\/li>
      4. Measure functional performance <\/span>(Delivery of IAM Operational Capabilities)<\/span><\/i><\/li><\/ol>

        Organizations can implement and enhance an IAM program that better provides meaningful value by focusing on these seven activities.<\/span><\/p>

        \"\"<\/h4>

        Using Your Maturity Assessment to Drive Business Value<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/h4>

        A maturity assessment will highlight deficiencies or <\/span>mistakes in your IAM program<\/span><\/a>. However, it\u2019s entirely too common for organizations to use maturity assessments and similar guidance as a linear, one-size-fits-all checklist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

        It\u2019s crucial to understand that the maturity assessment categories and other related guidelines are intended to inform your own decisions, not dictate them precisely. Keep the following in mind to use this information to drive meaningful value:<\/span><\/p>