Never Heard of Identity Management Day? Here’s Why it Matters in 2021
Every year, vendors, solution providers, and practitioners are asked to absorb and utilize new technology, requirements, regulations—and new problem statements. And while this constant change attracts many of us, it can be daunting to find a consistent thread that pulls it all together. At Okta, we believe one of those threads is an identity-centric approach to security.
Personally, I’ve lived and breathed in the identity world for more than two decades. When I joined Okta in 2010, this space was less clear, but even today I’m constantly reminded that Identity remains a complex and evolving concept. The one thing that’s become more clear? Identity is fundamental, and those who fail to understand its benefits and complexity will lag behind.
It’s why Okta provides education and best practices around identity topics through resources such as the Identity 101 Index, it’s why Okta has been a member of the Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) since 2017, and it’s why I’ve been a board member of the IDSA since 2018.
What is the Identity Defined Security Alliance?
The Identity Defined Security Alliance is a non-profit organization focused on providing free, vendor-neutral education and resources, combining identity and security strategies to reduce the rampant breaches of technical organizations. And today, every organization has some technological component to protect. As an IDSA board member for the past three years, it’s been exciting to work with other IDSA members in the Identity space to educate and promote Identity-centric security to IT professionals.
The IDSA framework identifies a core set of components: identity, device, network, compute, application and storage, and data. These core components provide a platform to define key use cases and to illustrate how to properly secure these components in an identity-centric fashion. Most recently, IDSA has been developing a library of Identity Defined Security Outcomes and Approaches. This library establishes well-defined patterns that combine identity and security capabilities and provide flexibility in achieving the best outcomes.
What is Identity Management Day?
As part of its mission to evangelize Identity, IDSA holds various events including panel discussions and webinars throughout the year. But buckle up, the IDSA is taking its impact a step further in 2021. Tomorrow, April 13th marks the inaugural Identity Management Day!
Presented by the IDSA in partnership with the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA), this annual event will take place on the second Tuesday of April every year. Its aim is to educate business leaders and IT decision-makers on the importance of identity management and to teach identity-centric security best practices. In addition, the NCSA will provide consumer guidance to ensure that their online identities are protected through security awareness, best practices, and readily available technologies.
Intrigued? Check out the day’s agenda, which includes several discussions and panels with industry experts. Whether you’re a practitioner, an IT leader, or an individual consumer, get involved, join our community for this inaugural event, and start your own journey to Be Identity Smart.
