Saviynt Blog | Security News and Research

Saviynt Customers Win 2024 Identity Management Awards

Written by Ravi Erukulla and Karthik Satish-Kumar | May 13, 2024 3:51:47 PM

We are pleased to announce that two of our customers, Narayana Health and University of Melbourne, have received Identity Management Awards for 2024 from the Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA) and National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA). 

As part of Identity Management Day, an event designed to boost best practices in identity management, IDSA and NCA choose exemplary organizations and leaders for special recognition.

Narayana Health – Identity Management Project of the Year - SMB

Narayana Health was recognized as being an end-user organization with less than 1,000 employees or less than $1 billion in annual revenue, that has implemented an identity management and security project that exemplifies the use of identity management best practices while providing overall value to the business.

University of Melbourne – The Best Innovative Use of New Technologies of the Year

University of Melbourne was an end-user organization that has implemented a novel use of one or more new technologies for identity management. These technologies may include Zero Trust, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Blockchain, or any other new technology.

The awards are an important part of the fourth annual Identity Management Day, hosted by the IDSA in partnership with the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) and co-chaired by Saviynt. A panel of judges from the IDSA and NCA selected the winners for their commitment to identity management and security that focuses on enabling business operations while reducing risks. It is an honor for Saviynt to nominate their customers and see them win the awards on such a global platform. 

At Saviynt, we have always been excited by the opportunities in Identity Security and have worked towards advancing them. Identity has come a long way – from a compliance-oriented discipline to a business enabler, from an IT practice to board-level initiative. We have always been at the forefront of innovation helping organizations safeguard their cyber resources effectively through a strong, automated and viable IAM practice.

EVOLUTION OF IDENTITY AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT

In the past, Identity and Access Management (IAM) concerned only identities that represented humans and in particular employees, but more recently it has grown to encompass vast types of identities - both human and non-human and expanded beyond employees to include customers, vendors, suppliers, contractors, etc. The processes through which a digital identity is defined and managed to provide access to digital resources is very different now. As the technology landscape and human behavior evolved, IAM has evolved in response to new technologies and the vulnerabilities they introduce. In a back and forth pattern, IAM responds to changes in the threat landscape and the threat landscape responds to changes in IAM, and the cycle goes on.

In recent years, the scope of identity security has expanded even further. It is no longer a novel thing when you say identity security is the new perimeter for cyber defense. With the advancements in cloud, AI and automation, identity has become the common denominator for effectively securing organizational resources. We believe that identity will become even more pivotal and good identity management practices will become even more paramount for organizations as time goes on. After all, cyber attacks are getting more and more sophisticated every day. Identity Management Day plays a crucial role in raising awareness about the importance of identity security.

SIGNIFICANCE OF STRONG IDENTITY SECURITY

The critical nature of IAM makes it an essential component of cybersecurity. Good security hygiene includes a sound IAM strategy where all identities are managed with consistent policies and tools that provide security leaders with an understanding of who has access to its resources (especially the critical ones).

But keeping a high level of security – including good security hygiene – becomes more challenging with each passing day. The modern work-from-anywhere workforce demands access on any device and for any services. This requires digital identities to be securely established and verified, enabling secure digital communications to support e-commerce and other critical digital services. Not only are services located anywhere in the world, but there are also varying levels of trust and security required to assure that transactions are legitimate and sensitive data is safeguarded.

Things certainly have changed from the pre-internet days when all assets were controlled within private data centers and access was restricted to company-controlled devices and networks. The new era exposes users and organizations to new risks due to the expansion of digital services, increasing the threat and attack surface.

Coupled with this increased risk is the acceleration of regulations meant to hold organizations accountable for protecting customer data and giving consumers the ability to better control what data can be shared. Furthermore, the original technologies that provided identity and access management are built on legacy platforms and are unable to support these new requirements, forcing organizations to consider modern platforms and services that support these new use cases.

It’s no surprise that identity today has risen in importance as organizations recognize what’s at stake. Identity has become the first line of defense against cyberattacks. An organization’s brand and reputation are intertwined with its ability to avoid breaches and protect customer data, and identity security has become a board-level initiative prioritized by C-level executives.

That’s why Saviynt is particularly proud to see our valued customers, Narayana Health and University of Melbourne, recognized for their efforts to keep cybersecurity best practices paramount in the way they handle identity security. Congratulations from all of us here at Saviynt!