"SMBs Are Facing Challenges Similar To Large Enterprises"

Players in the Identity Management space are now coming up with solutions typically suitable for the SMB sector as this sector is also facing challenges with regard to IT governance requirements. Aldrin D'Souza, country manager, Tivoli- IBM Software Group, talks to Biztech2.0 about this emerging trend.

What are the biggest security problems Indian enterprises are facing in the Identity Management space?

Security problems in the Identity Management space faced by Indian enterprises are mostly similar to those being faced globally. A lingering threat of external unwarranteed intrusion is the biggest problem in this space. Some of the other problems include centralising the definition of users; provisioning of user services to reduce the complexities of managing from multiple native interfaces; and accommodating political or distributed management needs through role-based delegation of administrative privileges across organisational and geographical boundaries. Providing reconciliation capabilities and the application management toolkit to assimilate organisational changes such as mergers and acquisitions has also emerged as a challenge before enterprises. Organisations are facing problems while supporting intelligent approval routing to automate the submission and approval processes for access requests and changes to user information. It is also difficult to handle capacities going up to tens of millions of users in an e-business initiative.

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How can SMBs benefit from Identity Management solutions? How can customers unlock the business value of identity?

Every small or medium business has just as great a need to meet challenges as its larger counterpart as far as managing identity is concerned. But the capability as well as the complexity and cost of enterprise tools are often far in excess of what the SMB needs, let alone what it can afford. This illustrates how identity management as well as storage, systems, IT health and availability management are exemplary of the IT management challenges being faced by businesses of all sizes but for which solutions have up to now been largely developed keeping the enterprise in mind. The time has ripened for bringing enterprise-quality solutions crafted for the mid-market to the market.

The bundling of solutions from various vendors with the partners’ services can open a wide range of opportunities to provide expertise and applications built around these products, by addressing key areas such as ease of installation, ease of use, management and support. As a dominant force across the IT spectrum, IBM has recognised the opportunity presented by the SMB. As a player in this space, we have seen that identity has become a focal point of security and regulatory compliance for businesses of all sizes.

Where does the Identity Management market in India stand? How is IBM placed in this segment?

In India, the Identity Management market is still in a growing stage; however, it has now crossed the stage where it was measured as an IT management expense. It is a requisite for many industries like BFSI, IT/ITeS, manufacturing and healthcare. A policy-based approach to the identity management lifecycle can simplify and secure user access to your IT systems and your business facilities.

IBM Identity and Access Management Services can help them design, implement, deploy and maintain an integrated identity management system. Such a system can standardise access management across platforms for users, devices, applications and business processes, as well as physical security points such as biometric, smart card and badge readers. IBM provides a comprehensive portfolio of identity management products to tackle every aspect of identity management, including proofing, provisioning and access control.

What is fuelling the growth of Identity Management in India?

In the face of a staggering range of threats both from within and outside, organisations of all sizes have a critical need to secure their IT environments by controlling access to sensitive information resources. Increasingly, businesses are also obligated to demonstrate compliance with regulatory mandates regarding information protection and corporate governance, regardless of their size. Identity management, the domain of solutions for managing access rights and privileges of authorised IT users, has become a front-line technology and is well placed to meet the business critical challenges of Indian enterprises. Solutions that address the full lifecycle of identity and access management have, up to now, primarily targeted the enterprise, yet their values are equally attractive to the small and mid-sized businesses.

Which verticals are getting most benefits from Identity Management solutions?

Virtually any business stands to benefit from solutions that automate and simplify repetitive tasks that otherwise consume significant resources in terms of human support, particularly when it comes to one of the principal banes of the service desk like user account management and password maintenance. Add to this the burden of demonstrating regulatory compliance and conforming to IT governance requirements to certify proper IT access and it soon becomes clear that a market exists among businesses of all sizes for cost-effective solutions that tame these challenges. Verticals like financial services, government, law enforcement and any organisation trying to solve business problems related to recognising true identity can benefit from Identity Management solutions.