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1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This document represents a short version of our IDMology, and it does not include the appendix containing the processes and documents we use during the project process. This document demonstrates our unique approach to Identity Management implementations and the value organizations derive from these solutions.
We are happy to share the additional sections of this document with prospects, customers, and partners. Please send a request to the contact at the end of this whitepaper.
2 INTRODUCTION
The past ten years have witnessed the introduction and subsequent proliferation of Identity Management systems. These systems have emerged in response to the need to effectively manage an increasingly large number of end-user accounts, spread across an increasingly large number of diverse systems, each with its own unique set of access and permission parameters.
Unfortunately, the process of deploying an Identity Management solution is a complex undertaking in and of itself. Moreover, even if an organization is successful in deploying its own Corporate Identity Management solution, the only way in which it can actually gain Identity Management system deployment knowledge and experience is by completing the project - in other words, it becomes most prepared to design and execute the Identity and Access Management project after the Identity and Access Management project has been completed. Thus, because the deploying organization will go through the process only once under the best of circumstances, it cannot use its own experience to optimize the process - unless the first attempt is a failure.
Although each Identity and Access Management project has its own unique challenges and complications, there are significant issues and challenges that consistently emerge during projects. Because of this, the expertise and methodologies provided by an experienced solution provider can result in improved project ROI, and can sometimes make the difference between project success and failure.
This document describes a few key topics of the IDMology, our methodology for Identity and Access Management system implementation, and shows how IDFocus has successfully used IDMology to address the issues faced when building Identity and Access Management solutions for several clients.
The document does not cover all the topics of our IDMology, nor does it include our proprietary appendix. The appendix contains the documents, diagrams, and processes used during the project implementation.
3 IDENTITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND IDMOLOGY
3.1 OVERVIEW
The need for implementing Identity and Access Management is driven by several emerging trends in corporate information technology (IT):
1. IT processes have grown in complexity, creating a growing user-management problem.
2. Business processes' dependency on information technologies has caused a rapid increase in the number of user accounts.
3. Organizations have opened their information systems to vendors, customers, and suppliers, significantly increasing security risks and management costs.
4. Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPPA, and other regulations require public companies and/or entire market sectors to monitor and control access to data on a person-by-person and function-by-function basis.
3.2 IDENTITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
An Identity Management system is a central IT-user management and automation system. The Identity Management system controls users, passwords, access permissions, and accounts across multiple IT systems.
The benefits of an Identity Management system can be tailored to the needs and priorities of the deploying organization. Listed below are some of the potential benefits provided by an Identity Management system:
- Tighter data security: Corporate data-security policies can be built into the system.
- Thousands of manual IT tasks performed automatically: The most repetitive and error-prone tasks can be automated.
- Significantly lower IT overhead: Automating the most repetitive and error-prone tasks frees up IT staff time and resources.
- Users who can support themselves without calling the Help Desk for every routine request: Web-based user interfaces can allow users to perform basic password-management functions.
- Productivity increases for everyone, both inside and outside IT: End users have their requests filled more quickly, and IT staff is relieved of the burden of routine tasks.
For more information on Identity Management systems, please see IDFocus' article on Identity Management systems, titled "Issues In Identity Management", available at www.IDFocus.com.
3.3 IDMOLOGY OVERVIEW
IDFocus' IDMology is based on four years expe rience delivering large-scale Identity Management solutions to multiple Fortune 200 companies. IDFocus believes that a methodology should, first and foremost, provide solutions to repeatable problems appearing during Identity Access Management project lifecycles.
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