In many companies, identity management is still a jumble of systems, keys, and passwords. This article shows why centralization makes sense — and what truly matters in its implementation.
Identities can be managed in many different ways, as a glance into your own wallet – or your own company, your own organization – proves: a jumble of identification systems doesn't exactly make identity management easier or more secure. If you want to know how to do it more efficiently, especially when it comes to implementation, you shouldn't miss our new company blog.
I get into the car, try to sit down – and there it is again, the pressure from behind. My wallet not only looks extremely unsightly by now, but it also causes me quite a bit of trouble. The thick, worn leather case holds a multitude of bills, coins, cards, notes, and IDs, all serving the same purpose: to certify who I am and what I have. However, I have to guard this unsightly monstrosity like the apple of my eye, as losing it would result in significant financial losses and numerous trips to government offices. In my mind, things aren't much better when it comes to identity management: A jumble of PINs, passwords, and login procedures I'm supposed to remember, otherwise I can't access my money or my PC, nor can I get into the online shop that won't sell its socks unless you open an account with them. None of this is practical, and many a doubt about data security in the digital sock shop may be permissible.
Unfortunately, things are similar in many German companies and public authorities to how they are in my wallet and my mind: There are simply “legacy structures.” In addition to electronic access control, the good old key cabinet still needs to be managed, the LAN requires a password, a separate cash card is used for payment in the canteen – and when it comes to who can use which machine or vehicle, they rely on a secretary who was promptly promoted to identity manager. German public authorities are often much better than their reputation suggests when it comes to digitalization – which, however, doesn't mean that when it comes to identity management there isn't still room for improvement. improvement. Now, we all actually know that lost keys often lead to very costly replacement procedures. We know that static passwords are insecure and machines in the hands of untrained employees dangerous are. We know that distributed and unnecessarily duplicated personal data doesn't make administration easier. The fact that it would actually be more efficient, convenient, and secure to finally centralize all identity management is probably not a new insight. The idea of integrated digital identity is probably almost as old as digital technology itself. However, some people, not entirely without reason, wonder if such a drastic change to critical processes wouldn't unnecessarily throw a wrench in the works. Many also fear new data privacy issues as well as issues with staff and citizens who only ever see Digital Identity as “Big Brother” .
These concerns are certainly justified. For example, anyone who calculates the enormous effort it would take just to have all employees of a large company go to a photographer for a new company ID card, knows what corporate leaders fear. Anyone who knows the General Data Protection Regulation knows how quickly one can run into issues with overly extensive personal data is a criminal offense. The devil, as you've guessed, is in the details: With Identity Provisioning, as we call it, it's therefore crucial to intelligently connect existing, proven solutions in the right places, replace outdated elements, and substitute cumbersome processes with more practical alternatives. The goal is to develop tailored solutions without constantly reinventing the wheel. We aim to explain how this works, what benefits it brings, and how to approach it, step by step, in our new company blog. For example, we will show how cost-effective data acquisition is achieved, how the transition is possible without business interruption, how you can avoid issues with GDPR and the works council, what role AI plays in this – in short: How you with modern Identity Provisioning make your company and your processes safer, more efficient, more competitive, and more user-friendly. Here you will Success Stories as well as foundational, opinion, and hands-on articles. But a blog like this also thrives on contributions from our community. Write to us, what you would like to read here, what problems you see regarding identity management, what experiences you have had, and what solutions you would like to see.
