Only 16% of organizations have a mature Identity & Access Management program despite it being vital to any modern security strategy, reveals Hitachi ID survey

The average organization is slightly past the midpoint on its road to security maturity, demonstrating the work that still needs to be done in the quest for a Zero Trust infrastructure.

As IT environments become more fluid, open, and ultimately, more vulnerable, organizations are increasingly turning away from conventional methods such as VPN to keep their networks secure. Instead, they are accelerating their digital transformation to a more reliable Zero Trust security approach. But while 52 percent of organizations have taken a step towards more mature security capabilities by defining role management and provisioning processes, only 16 percent use fully-integrated identity and access management tools that are reflective of a more mature identity and access management program, revealed Hitachi ID in a new survey published in conjunction with Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Evolving network landscapes have proven that simple access governance and perimeter-based security architectures lack the finesse and control needed to defend against new threats, both internal and external, and a new security methodology is necessary. Sophisticated identity and access management and privileged access management processes and policies are more effective at safeguarding organizations. They employ automated tools to consistently validate users are who they say they are and provide the right level of access when they need it.

“As traditional security methods lose steam in today’s evolving market, Zero Trust is shining through as the exemplar model for the next generation of security infrastructure,” said Nicholas Brown, CEO of Hitachi ID. “While an essential part of a modern security strategy, security leaders have to keep in mind that Zero Trust is a journey and not a destination. At Hitachi ID, we help organizations grow and develop at the right pace as they progress toward maturity.”

Other key survey findings include:

• 51% of organizations are looking ahead to centralize their identity management principles.
• More mature organizations are focused on separating identity storage from applications and systems (25%) or integrating identity-driven systems (10%).
• Only 9% of IT security executives surveyed have evolved into a consistent privileged access management system or a Zero Trust security strategy.

The survey, conducted by Pulse on behalf of Hitachi ID, garnered responses from 100 IT security executives across North America and EMEA at small, mid-sized, and enterprise companies. For more data from the survey, view the infographic here. Industry leaders who are interested in learning more about building a Zero Trust infrastructure can sign up for Hitachi ID’s Zero Trust Maturity Matters Executive eRoundtable Series, which will be held on Oct. 28, Nov. 18 and Dec. 2, here.