Application security presents the challenge for the modern-day workforce; enterprises that are digitally active and are developing potential business opportunities for revenue growth.  Applications that are accessing the enterprise network compromise more and more of enterprises IT environment as they digitally transform the cloud and from on-premises networks for improved accessibility. Applications can provide diverse functions combined with the necessity for business-critical operations that are word processing, databases, web browsers, and communication platforms.  Application security adds another layer of complexity to enterprises identity and access management (IAM). Currently, IAM serves a security policy and management workbook playing a key role in the management and acts as the most common port of entry in the network. The identity security challenge comes with the application development and deployment as it’s a two way street for the enterprises. One of the major challenges for the enterprises is to regulate the application access in the IT environment, understanding operational requirements.

Why application security matters?

The scaling of enterprises IT environment and for the digital transformation businesses now have increased the access to applications, it’s even using the enterprises IT network environment to access such applications. The recent technology innovation has been much sided with modern demand for accessibility leading to major security attacks and exploitation of security loopholes. Many of the enterprises that are currently using the application suffer from constant security vulnerabilities, which are known as bugs. Such bugs can compromise the application security and can even damage the enterprise storage space.  By optimizing the security of the application via identity and access management can improve your business processes, improving their simplicity and effectiveness.  Most companies faced with the question of how exactly you can improve application security without harming the current scenario of accessibility.

Why Password-based security lacks?

Passwords present one of the biggest security challenges when we look toward enterprises security. Such security challenge is present currently with enterprises traditional identity and access management making the application security as password sensitive. Among other authentication factors, passwords are one of the most easily cracked and guessed security. Many of the employees use the same passwords over and over for different accounts and hackers who possess certain tools and skills can easily guess the passwords. With one of the most common flowed processes for authentication is a single-factor, users often suffer trying to keep track of all the distinct authentication methods creating a great deal of password management problem. Many of the applications demand a certain composition and expiration based on the password requirement.

Such impediment often restores the users to be the weakest component of the password, making the total authentication process null. Hackers use the tool that guesses user passwords based on the name, DOB and mobile numbers.  Single step password authentication can be a security challenge for the enterprises today because fearing the password attack suffering from the most authentication process.

How to approach the password-based security?

Identity and Access management capabilities can assist in increasing your application security by removing the password security. Here are certain capabilities that can be added:

Multifactor Authentication: Multifactor authentication strengthens the password system by reducing the only single factor password authentication. As the number of factors that act as an authentication stage will secure your applications. Few of the possible methodologies that include possible authentication include geofencing, biometrics, and SMS with OTP as it includes flexibility due to single factor authentication.

Single sign-on: Single sign-on allows users to access multiple applications at once with a single authentication process/access request. It permits the user to remember only a single password based on application usage. An enterprise that wants to manage the data exposition based on the security clearance of an employee.

Active Directory: Connecting all to enterprises network to prevent an attack might seem a vague idea but logging the enterprise application connecting to your Active Directory prevents the application from disappearing from the network preventing the hackers from exploiting the concealed lateral movement or island hopping attacks.

Identity Governance and Administration

Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) assist the enterprises to perform consistent role management. In simpler addition when we want to learn about the IGA we will be assisting several of the enterprises to govern all the access requests based on the requirements. IGA creates improved control over the employee’s access clarifying whether the need is there or not. Managing the application access will be imperative if you want to protect your enterprise data, no privileged user should have access to all the possible business applications. Applications should be constrained from accessing all the data and digital assets based in the enterprise network.

Identity governance solutions assist the IT admins to maintain the role management in your enterprises through increased visibility and getting the capabilities of management.  IGA allows the provisioning and depriving of users and applications. With secured provisioning, applications can receive the proper permission they need to perform their functions and ensures improved results with the network.

Conclusion

Enterprises today are struggling with constant threats for application security and management. With increased demand for mobility and application management, many of the cybersecurity threats are emerging with time. Various security matters have compounded that many IT security professionals say they aren’t investing enough in applications security relative to cybersecurity efforts.  Many of the applications are deployed with several vulnerabilities making the complete network vulnerable to attacks. The above password measures and Identity governance & administration are all set to reduce the security vulnerability due to the application.

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