What is VAM?

Vendor Access Management is the process of managing third-party access to your organization’s computer systems. VAM systems provide “least privilege” temporary access for vendors to an organization’s systems on a need-to-access basis. When a vendor no longer needs access, the VAM system will simplify the process of revoking access.

Providing third-party access to your organization’s systems involves particular risks and poor vendor access management may result in a security breach.

VAM Challenges

Managing vendor access without a centralized process can be a challenge that leads to a variety of different workflows. Setting up accounts and granting permissions can be inconsistent. Without a direct means of flagging vendor accounts as temporary or mapping them back to their respective sponsors, orphaned accounts can persist well beyond their acceptable lifespan.

Additionally, visibility into the full scope of the onboarded vendor’s access must be maintained in the system to ensure compliance. If third parties are left unchecked; the decentralized system is unable to assure appropriate usage of access or follow-up, and the vendor’s access is still active.

To combat these risks, organizations must have a consistent VAM methodology, ensuring full visibility into vendor access and managing the lifecycle of their access from onboarding to decommissioning.