Cybersecurity is an increasingly present topic at meetings at all levels of an organization. And with the increase in digitalization and connectivity of companies, cyber risks are increasingly associated with business risks and are not limited only to large corporations. A study by Allianz Group has shown the cybersecurity aspect was considered one of the three main risks to business continuity.

And one of the main attack vectors used by malicious agents to carry out their activities is privileged credentials. It is no wonder they are called “keys to the kingdom”, precisely because of the high impact generated by their misuse. Moreover, these credentials have multiplied in the environments due to initiatives such as Cloud, 5G, and Internet of Things (IoT). The result is a significant increase in attack surface that can be exploited by malicious agents, and consequently higher cybersecurity risks.

According to a study by Sapio Research, 84% of the organizations surveyed had suffered a data leak associated with the exploitation of user and machine identities. So much so that, according to the same research, 90% of IT leaders who responded to the survey recognize the importance of ensuring identity security to achieve their business goals, and 87% recognize identity protection as the highest security priority for the next 12 months.

To assist security leaders in ensuring the protection of credentials and respective accesses, there is a discipline called Identity and Access Management (IAM). According to Gartner, IAM allows the right users to access the right resources at the right time and for the right reasons. Gartner also considers that IAM can ensure access to resources in a heterogeneous technological environment, in addition to ensuring compliance with audit requirements. Some of the results for organizations that deploy IAM policies, processes, and tools include lower costs in identity management, as well as greater agility in supporting business initiatives.

As part of the initiatives to address the most relevant IAM challenges to meet new requirements, increase the level of security of organizations, and enable greater business resilience, Gartner holds the Identity and Access Management Summit annually in Las Vegas, NV. 

During Gartner’s identity and access event, participants and market experts explore a number of priorities for those responsible for Identity and Access Management programs in organizations. These priorities include:

1. The most current research and insights in Privileged Access Management, or PAM;
2. IAM programs and strategies;
3. Single Sign-on (SSO);
4. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA);
5. Passwordless Methods

For IT leaders, one of the benefits of attending the Gartner IAM Summit is building IAM priorities and helping their organizations thrive in an increasingly challenging digital scenario. In addition, during the Summit, one can meet with market-leading vendors and learn about the most advanced IAM tools available, including MFA, PAM, and biometrics.

Finally, during the Gartner IAM Summit, IT leaders can attend sessions held by market experts and gain insights on topics such as privacy, Identity Governance and Management (IGA), as well as hybrid and multi-cloud environments. 

The event organized by Gartner is divided into 9 distinct tracks, covering different aspects associated with IAM:

1. IAM Vision and Strategy, allowing security and risk leaders and Identity and Access professionals to be aligned to avoid common market pitfalls and use techniques efficiently;
2. Governance and Privileged Access Management, for a better understanding of how to develop the most modern IGA architectures, in addition to rethinking obsolete solutions;
3. Access Management, where participants were able to explore how Access Management solutions evolved to support the most advanced requirements;
4. Authentication, Fraud Detection, and Identity Proofing, which aims to provide means to establish the identity of new users and mitigate the risks of attack vectors;
5. Emerging IAM Technologies, with the latest trends in consumer engagement and new trust models;
6. Leadership, allowing one to understand the forms of communication that correspond to organizational needs and expectations;
7. Technical Insights of Gartner Technical Professionals, or GPT, where the latest research was presented to assist planners and IAM specialists to architect the best solutions to deliver the right capabilities for the business;
8. Cloud Enablement, which allows participants to understand how IAM is able to support and improve the migration of organizations to cloud environments;
9. Security and Privacy, with the latest trends in security and privacy, and how AIM professionals need to prepare.

Considering the increase in the number and sophistication of cyberattacks, Security and Risk Management professionals need to understand the techniques used by malicious attackers, as well as the most advanced tools available to detect and respond to these attacks. As many cyberattacks are performed through the exploitation of identities, attending events such as the Gartner IAM Summit allows cybersecurity leaders to have a global view of the top priorities of Identity and Access Management in order to overcome the threats linked to identity in the digital environment.