The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing work-from-home revolution has thrust identity management to the top of corporate agendas. As such, security professionals can no longer be satisfied with securing their perimeters, they now have to account for countless employees, devices and identities – all operating off site.
One Identity recognised the paradigm shift early. Already an established player in the identity management space, their acquisition of access management provider OneLogin was a key move in cementing the company as a leader in the burgeoning identity space.
Andrew Clarke, Global Head of Channel and Strategic Alliances at One Identity, and a veteran of the cybersecurity industry, provided fascinating insight into contemporary identity and access management, and how One Identity fits into the narrative.
“Up until recently, our portfolio only included Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Privileged Access Management (PAM), and AD Management and Security. Our strategic acquisition of OneLogin rounded out our portfolio by adding Identity and Access Management (IAM). This is important because IAM is the final piece of the portfolio, it realises our vision of a unified identity security management platform”, he said.
As the dust kicked up by COVID-19 began to settle, security professionals at long last were able to step back and examine the havoc it wreaked on the cybersphere. Clarke believes that the OneLogin acquisition came at the perfect time – just when the world needed a unified identity security management platform, One Identity provided it.
“We recognised the increased demand for identity security management platforms as it became apparent that remote working wasn’t going anywhere, and realised that there was a huge gap in the market for a unified identity security management platform. In the old days, security was all about perimeters, everything inside the firewall was protected – this is no longer true – businesses need to control identity at an individual level. The entire cybersecurity space has shifted from physical protective security, to Identity and Access Management portfolios which are built around people,” Clarke said.
Aside from the dawn of remote working, Clarke believes that regulations have played a major role in bringing forth a new era of identity management.
“While I do think that remote working was the most important factor in attitude changes towards identity and access management, it’s closely followed by the introduction of regulations such as GDPR. When regulations were first introduced, many companies were confused as to how they applied to them – but it’s common sense really. When the pandemic hit, data was moved into the cloud at a speed and scale we had never seen, and likely will not see again. If employees need to access data from outside the premises and there isn’t rigorous security in place, it’s very likely that someone will break into that data. I think a lot of companies didn’t realise this. GDPR and other regulations have forced organisations to think about the risks inherent with remote working,” he said.
Clarke also says that One Identity’s platform works to simplify an increasingly complex problem. For organisations attempting to navigate the murky waters of GDPR and remote working, a unified identity security management platform isn’t just a map – it’s a fully fledged GPS system.
“Organisations should be dedicating time and resources towards driving business and providing value for their own customers. Before we launched our unified identity security management platform – which is a unique proposition – businesses were forced to purchase separate platforms for each facet of identity management. This means building and maintaining multiple relationships, getting acquainted with multiple technologies, paying multiple invoices. By combining the four key elements of identity management, this problem goes away, allowing our customers to dedicate their time to what’s really important – their business,” Clarke said.
Clarke recognises that effective technology isn’t enough – the message needs to resonate with and get in front of customers. Not only is the company recognised as a leader in the identity management space by Gartner, but the channel also plays a crucial role in One Identity’s success, which can be attributed to its partnerships and healthy, productive relationships across the globe.
“From a technology perspective, we build the best and get it validated. But how do we show this off to our target market? The answer is through partnerships. Our partner programme – which spans across businesses of all sizes – really is second to none. We provide our partners with an experience that allows them to speak accurately and intelligently about our technology, in order to best represent our interests. What’s more, our extensive partner portfolio allows potential customers to select who they think would be the best fit, which in turn increases the likelihood of customer success. And at the end of the day, that’s what we really care about,“ Clarke concluded.
