As businesses continue to embrace cloud-driven environments, perimeter-based security solutions are struggling to keep up with modern security needs, according to Okta’s 2023 Business at Work Report. As a result, cybersecurity teams are prioritizing identity-first security, a best practice backed by new requirements and mandates in some markets. This shift towards identity-first security is seen as a reliable way to safeguard businesses that have also adopted a cloud-first strategy.
Today, workforce security teams are focusing on solutions that safeguard users connecting from outside the corporate network while keeping bad actors out. From firewalls to VPNs to cloud security tools and endpoint management apps, businesses are investing in a range of solutions to protect their workforce.
As part of this shift, organizations are moving beyond traditional password and security question combinations, opting instead for higher-assurance identity factors. This is a positive development, as moving past human-error-riddled passwords remains one of the best practices for corporate security.
While it’s interesting to note that “Password” supplanted “123456” to become the most common password of 2022, the number of people using these two passwords has fallen dramatically since Okta’s previous year’s report. This is due in part to the rise of password filters and automated password policy enforcers that require users to create stronger, more secure passwords.
Zero-trust Solutions
Okta’s customers are also embracing zero trust solutions, with a significant number of companies surveyed saying they have or plan to have a zero trust initiative in place. This development is significant, as it highlights the importance of ensuring that each person has the right level of access to the right resource at the right time.
Although each organization’s zero trust journey is unique, the global consensus is that pairing zero trust with an identity access management solution can result in a powerful central control point for governing access among users, devices, data, and networks.
Context-based Access Policies
Context-based access policies are also critical to zero trust configurations, as they take into account factors such as the trust level of a device at the time of user access, the location of the access attempt, and other critical inputs. Okta’s data shows that almost one-quarter of their customers are deploying at least one zero trust configuration, and this number is expected to grow.
Context-based access works by assessing risk based on static, contextual, and analytically calculated attributes. By calculating a risk score based on multiple weighted attributes, it provides policy rules that determine whether an access request must be permitted, denied, or challenged. This approach ensures that access is only granted to users who have the right level of authorization to carry out specific tasks.
Identity-first Security
Overall, the shift towards identity-first security is essential for businesses that have embraced a cloud-first strategy. Perimeter-based security solutions are no longer enough to meet modern security needs, and workforce security teams are investing in solutions that safeguard users connecting from outside the corporate network while keeping bad actors out.
While the path to zero trust is unique for each organization, the importance of pairing zero trust with an identity access management solution cannot be overstated. Context-based access policies are critical to zero trust configurations, and as more businesses adopt these solutions, we can expect to see a significant improvement in overall cybersecurity.