Identity and access management (IAM) is part of the areas of cybercrime and cybersecurity as well as digital transformation. It refers to all processes and technologies that companies use to control who is authorised to access which data and systems.
IAM ensures that only authorised persons - for example employees - have access to internal applications, emails or sensitive customer data. This often works via user accounts, passwords or even more secure methods such as two-factor authentication.
Think of IAM like a digital bouncer: Only those on the guest list are allowed in. This prevents unauthorised persons from gaining access to important data or causing damage. IAM is particularly crucial in times of working from home and the cloud, as employees often log in from different locations.
An illustrative example: In a bank, IAM is used to manage all employee accounts. A customer advisor automatically has access to customer data, but not to internal financial reports. If an employee is dismissed, IAM ensures that their access is blocked immediately - for greater security and data protection in the digital age.
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