Access Management

  • 10 min read

Access Management Policy Guide For 2024

Ritish Reddy

2nd November, 2023

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Ensuring data integrity is a top priority for every organization. It is essential to establish a secure access environment to meet this critical need. 

But, with the growing numbers of apps and employees, it is becoming challenging for IT teams to manage the access environment. So, you, as an IT manager, can mitigate this issue by implementing an access management policy. 

This article will provide all the necessary information to enhance your understanding of access management policies.

Basically, access management policies are written documents outlining the guidelines for users to access the organization's resources. These policies include essential security aspects, like verifying user accounts, allocating access rights, and handling passwords. 

Also, it serves as a framework for both users and administrators, establishing the foundation for enforcing disciplinary measures in case of policy violations.

However, the significance of implementing an access management policy extends beyond these reasons, so let's understand why they are important.

Why Is There A Need To Create an Access Management Policy?

Identity and access management policy benefits both users and IT admins. For users, these policies offer clear guidelines on securely accessing organizations' apps, data, and networks. On the other hand, IT admins receive a well-defined set of rules for effective access management.

Moreover, these policies help your IT team address numerous access management challenges, including security concerns such as

• Mitigates credential theft risks associated with weak authentication practices

• Prevents the usage of weak passwords and safeguards user credentials

• Manages security risks associated with shared accounts

• Addresses the risks associated with orphaned accounts that could be exploited in cyber-attacks

• Ensures remote access security, especially for home devices or public Wi-Fi connections

• Meets compliance through improved auditing of access requests

• Strengthen perimeter protection through streamlined access controls and a unified enterprise-wide access management policy

In short, these security policies are designed to provide clarity and reduce confusion. 

Apart from that, it includes the implementation of multi-factor authentication (MFA) and privileges management systems. 

These authentication measures contribute to the protection of an organization's confidential information. Further, ultimately reducing the risk of data breaches and aiding organizations in achieving their compliance objectives.

What Are The Key Aspects Of Access Management Policy

Every access management policy includes the following key aspects:

1. Identification

Identification is the process of assigning a unique identifier to every individual or system within the organization. This helps your IT team make better decisions regarding appropriate access levels that should be granted to the individuals. 

These identifiers must adhere to the following principles:

• Uniqueness: Each identifier, such as a user ID, is unique. It is exclusively associated with a single individual or entity.

• One Identifier per Individual: An individual is allocated a single identification number, ensuring a one-to-one relationship between individuals and identifiers.

• Non-Reassignment: Once an identifier is assigned to a specific person, it remains perpetually linked to that individual. It is never reassigned to identify another person or entity.

2. Authentication 

Authentication is the process of verifying if an individual is actually who or what they claim to be. Its primary purpose is to safeguard personal and critical information while preventing the misuse of the organization's resources.

Furthermore, authentication encompasses several variations, typically categorized into three primary types:

• Something you know: The most prevalent examples include passwords, PINs, or patterns.

• Something you have: Common form includes hardware tokens, certificates, or software authenticators like Duo or Google Authenticator.

• Something you are: Often called biometric authentication, this involves forms like fingerprint readers, such as Apple's Touch ID.
  
  Multi-factor authentication (MFA) involves the combination of more than one authentication type, generally providing an extra layer of security by verifying the individual's identity multiple times.
  
  Note: When only two of these types are combined, it is termed two-factor authentication (2FA).
  
  Furthermore, all systems and applications must utilize encrypted authentication methods and adhere to the following rules:

• Authentication credentials should not be included in queries or programs unless encrypted and only when there is no other reasonable alternative.

• Unique initial passwords must be delivered securely and confidentially. Furthermore, these initial passwords must be changed upon the first login.

• Passwords shouldn't be stored in plain text or easily reversible format.

• Any default or blank passwords provided by vendors need to be promptly recognized and reset upon installation of the respective application, device, or operating system.
  
  Also, all privileged accounts need to adhere to the previously mentioned requirements. Additionally, when feasible and appropriate:

• They should support individual user authentication rather than group authentication. In cases where group accounts are needed for administrative purposes and shared passwords for such accounts are necessary, the password must be changed every ninety days. 

• Devices should be configured with separate accounts for privileged and unprivileged access.

• Users should be authenticated using an unprivileged account rather than a privileged one. 

3. Authorization

Authorization is the process of granting permissions to authenticated users. Through authorization, users gain the right level of access permissions (read-only, create, delete, or modify) to utilize the organization's critical SaaS app data. 

Furthermore, the system or application is responsible for verifying if the user has permission to perform the requested operation.

Also, access to sensitive data needs to be strictly regulated, and make sure it is only allowed when the data owner has provided written permission by following proper business procedures. 

Data Owners are responsible for setting up data access protocols, which should, at a minimum, include the following:

• Access request forms are required for requesting, modifying, or revoking access privileges to the organization's systems containing sensitive data.

• To maintain compliance with 'minimum necessary' and 'least privilege' principles. When a user undergoes a role change, all accounts should be initially disabled, and privileges should be revoked. Then, re-enabled with the necessary privileges for the new role.

• For new account creations and modifications to existing accounts, sections of the form must be completed and approved by:

• The person requesting access to the system

• The user's supervisor and/or department head (or designated representative)

• The Data Owner

• Account deletions should be reported promptly when workforce members are reassigned, promoted, or separated. In cases of termination with cause, deactivation should occur immediately.

• Regular reviewing needs to take place. To check if user privileges match access with their current responsibilities. If required, accordingly make changes, removals, or deactivations when access is no longer necessary. 

4. Compliance 

System owners must maintain well-documented access control procedures, as they will be presented before auditors during the audit. This is done to show the auditors that all the regulatory compliance requirements are adhered to. 

Furthermore, they must ensure that the documented evidence of account approval, termination, and deactivation is readily accessible for auditing purposes when requested.

Now that you are familiar with the key aspects. Let's learn the guidelines you need to follow while creating an access management policy.

Guidelines For A Well-Structured Access Management Policy 

IAM policies can differ from organization to organization. Healthcare and banks, for instance, maintain distinct authentication and account management systems. However, the fundamental principles and structure of these security policies remain consistent.

An effective access management policy typically adheres to the following guidelines or structure:

1. First, you need to look through a few critical data points:

• Version History: This section provides a record of prior policy versions and details about the current version.

• Purpose/Scope: Clearly explains the goals of the policy and emphasizes why it's important.

• Audience: Specify to whom these policies are applicable and who will be liable/accountable if there is any policy violation.

1.  Once you have gathered these critical data, you can accordingly set identity and access management policies. You need to ensure the policies align with your organization's structure for effective policy implementation.   

Furthermore, your policies should include the following security components: 

• Access Control: Outlines rules governing login processes and account creation.

• Account Management: Specify what IT admins need to do. For example, managing account data, shared accounts, user activity logs, and recommendations for de-provisioning redundant accounts.

• Administrator/Special Access: Provides guidance to mitigate the risks associated with administrator accounts.

• Access Rights and Verification Methods: Covers password management, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and user verification log policies.

• Access Privileges Management: Focuses on granting access while adhering to the principle of least privilege.

• Remote Access: Addresses remote connections, focusing on device security and authentication practices.

• Vendor Access: Concerns policies related to third-party vendor access, including third-party maintenance and support partners.

• Data Collection Rules: Aims to fulfill regulatory requirements and enhance overall security procedures.

• Exceptions: Explains the procedure for managing situations that necessitate access in violation of set access rules. It's typically brief since the policy covers the most common scenarios.

• References: Provides information on regulatory frameworks or internal documents cited in the policy for further guidance.

• Enforcement: This section outlines the consequences for breaches of the identity and access management policy, encompassing internal sanctions and potential civil or criminal penalties.

Now, let's go through a few well-known examples of access management policies, which are also security requirements for many stringent compliance regulations.   

Common Policies That Are Implemented In The Organization 

Below are some of the access management policies implemented in the organization to manage access and maintain data integrity. 

1. Role-Based Access Control

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a policy and access control mechanism that manages user permissions based on organizational roles. In RBAC, access to resources and data is determined by a person's job function or role rather than their individual identity. This approach simplifies access management and reduces the complexity of assigning and revoking permissions for individual users.

2. Segregation of Duties

Segregation of duty (SoD), also known as separation of duty, is a policy and control mechanism designed to prevent conflicts of interest. It is done by dividing tasks and responsibilities among different individuals or roles within an organization. The fundamental concept behind SoD is to ensure that no single person has more control over critical business processes. As this could lead to potential misuse of their authority or manipulate the decision-making process. 

3. Principle of Least Privilege

The Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) is a fundamental security concept and policy that provides users with a limited or minimum level of access permissions necessary to perform their daily operations. In other words, it ensures that users have the bare minimum access required to carry out their specific roles and nothing more.

4. Just-In-Time Access 

Just-In-Time Access (JITA) is an access control policy that involves granting individual access to specific apps, data, or other resources for a limited period. Precisely when they need it and only for the duration of that necessity. This policy is enforced to enhance security, reduce risks, and minimize exposure to potential threats.

However, you need to opt for an efficient solution to implement these policies in your organization. Though multiple IAM tools in the market are designed to help your team enforce these critical access policies, but the one that stands out is Zluri. What is Zluri? How does it help to manage and implement access control policies? Here's a quick read-through. 

Zluri: Ultimate Solution To Enforce Access Management Policy

Zluri provides an access management solution that enables your IT team to seamlessly enforce access management policy. It ensures that only the right individuals gain access to organizations' SaaS app and data which further helps minimize the risk of potential security breaches. Also, Zluri offers continuous monitoring of access policies to verify their proper implementation.

This way your team can effectively manage, control, and govern user access rights within your organization without missing out on any critical steps. 

Let’s see how Zluri implements an access management policy.

Zluri Assign Access Based On Roles 

Role-based access control ensures that your employees only have access to those required applications that align with their job role. For example, employees in the marketing department won't have access to the apps or data that HR or finance employees have. They will only be allowed to access applications like Buffer, Hootsuite, and more required to complete their role tasks. 

So to ensure that your employees gain access to apps required for their roles, Zluri lets your team create roles. That matches specific job functions, like 'Manager,' 'HR Specialist,' or 'Sales Representative.

Once roles are assigned, with Zluri, your team can set access policies to specify which app, data, or resources each role can access. This helps ensure that users within a particular role can access the SaaS apps and data necessary for their job role while adhering to security guidelines. 

Furthermore, Zluri's automation capabilities enhance RBAC enforcement, automatically assigning, adjusting/modifying, and revoking access permissions. As employees onboard, change positions (during mid-life cycle changes), and finally, when they depart from the organization, reducing the risk of manual errors.

Zluri Separate Individual’s Duties

Segregation of Duties is not merely a security risk mitigation strategy, it is also a vital compliance requirement for SOX. Unfortunately, many organizations fail to effectively enforce SoD due to the absence of suitable solutions. But, with Zluri, your IT team no longer has to struggle to implement SoD effectively. 

Zluri helps your IT team divide tasks among different users/individuals, thereby eliminating the potential for manipulation during decision-making processes. This strategy acts as a safeguard, preventing issues like granting excessive permissions, over-provisioning, and conflicts of interest. 

For example, Zluri ensures that each SaaS app within the organization has designated app owners. So while conducting user access reviews, the reviewer team, such as the GRC team, won't have complete control over the entire review process. There will be the involvement of app owners as well. This separation of duty is placed in order to minimize the risk of manipulation or biases in decision-making during access reviews.

Zluri Helps Your IT Team Grant Limited Level Of Access Permissions To Employees

Previously, the IT team used to grant new employees complete access to SaaS apps, primarily for convenience. This way, they didn't have to keep granting them various levels of access over and over again. 

However, this method proved to be problematic. It resulted in a lot of security breaches. Plus, it was difficult for the IT team to figure out which user accounts were affected and what kind of access those users had.

To help you understand better the impact of granting excessive permissions, let’s take an example. A new employee named “A” was granted complete access to SpendFlo upon onboarding. Unfortunately, due to an oversight, A’s account was compromised by hackers or other external parties, and now the hacker erased all the data stored in SpendFlo. 

These risks could have been prevented if the IT team had granted limited access to new employees during the onboarding process.

So what Zluri does is, upon onboarding, it enables your IT team to verify every new employee's identity and grant them limited access to systems, SaaS apps, and data. As per their role, position, and department. This further helps your team ensure that only the right individuals have access to applications with the right level of permissions and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access.

Zluri Provides Just-In-Time Access

At times, employees may need access to certain applications for a specific task within a set timeframe. Typically, the IT team grants this access but sometimes forgets to remove it after the task is done. This oversight can lead to security breaches and put critical data at risk.

Zluri addresses this access requirement by allowing your IT team to securely grant employees temporary or just-in-time access to necessary applications for a specified period. Once that time is up, Zluri automatically revokes the access without any delays using its auto-remediation feature. Your IT team doesn't need to worry about manually tracking and revoking access.

Note: For critical applications where extra precaution is required, your IT team can manually revoke access if needed.

For instance, Adam wanted access to Spendflo for a month to manage and estimate SaaS expenses. So, with Zluri, your IT team can grant Adam temporary access to Spendflo and then schedule a date (30 days after) to revoke access. 

After 30 days, Zluri will promptly revoke access to Spendflo from Adam. This way, your team improves employee experience by granting required access on time while maintaining security.

Conducts Periodic Audits To Review The Access Policy Implementation & Ensure Compliance 

Zluri conducts regular/periodic reviews and audits to ensure the access management policies are effectively implemented. If any violation takes place, your IT team and reviewers can run deprovisioning playbooks or modify access playbooks. This way your team can revoke or modify access permissions that don't align with the access policy. 

Furthermore, Zluri also documents the entire audit process and generates audit logs and reports to show as evidence that your IT team has implemented the access policy without fail. This helps in meeting stringent compliance requirements like SOX, and ISO 27000. As the above policies are one of the security requirements. 

Now that you know how Zluri can be your gaming-changing solution to enforce the access management policy. Why wait any longer? Book a demo now and view all the other exquisite access management capabilities. That will further help your team control, manage, and govern access effectively while improving security posture and adhering to evolving compliance standards. 

Also Read: Why Is Access Management Crucial For An Organization?

About the author

Ritish Reddy

Ritish is one of the co-founders of Zluri, the SaaS management tool for IT teams. He leads the Marketing and Partnerships as part of his role. Before Zluri, he was part of the founding team at KNOLSKAPE and Co-Founder at Cranium media. Ritish is an MBA graduate and is passionate about building, and scaling businesses ground up. He is an avid reader and loves exploring book stores and libraries in different parts of the world. He loves painting with his 4-year-old daughter.