--- title: OpenIAM | What is Identity-First Security? description: Overview of Identity First Security and the benefits that it can provide to an organization. --- - [Download a trial](https://www.openiam.com/download-a-trial) - [Sales](https://www.openiam.com/contact-sales) - [Support](https://openiam-help.freshdesk.com/support/login) - [Login](https://help.openiam.com/knowledge) [![logo](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/logo.svg "logo")](https://www.openiam.com/?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://www.openiam.com) - Products - Solutions - Partners - About Us - Consulting - Resources [Request a Quote** ](https://www.openiam.com/request-a-quote?hsLang=en) - Workforce Identity* * - Customer Identity* * - Comparison* * - Subscriptions* * #### All Features Overview of all features in Workforce Identity #### User Onboarding and Offboarding Automate joiner, mover, leaver processes #### Access Request Access requests with multi-step approvals #### User Access Reviews Save time with user access reviews #### Self-Service Portal Self-service portal for all end user activities #### Segregation of Duties Detect and remediate SoD violations #### Password Management Enforce password policies and enable synchronization #### Single Sign-On (SSO) Enable SSO using standards - SAML, oAuth, OIDC #### Authentication and MFA Improve security with adaptive authentication and MFA #### 3rd Party IdP Integration Integrate with your existing identity provider #### Integration API Use the REST API to add identity into your applications #### Connector Library Integrate on-premise and SaaS applications #### Modern Architecture Microservice architecture that supports deployment using RPM, Kubernetes or OpenShift #### Workforce Identity Concepts #### All Features Overview of all features in Customer IAM #### Authentication and MFA Improve security with adaptive authentication and MFA  #### Single Sign-On (SSO) Enable SSO using standards - SAML, oAuth, OIDC #### Password Management Enforce password policies and enable synchronization #### Modern Architecture Microservice architecture that supports deployment using RPM, Kubernetes or OpenShift #### Customer Identity Concepts #### Community vs Enterprise Summary of the differences between the Community and Enterprise editions #### Subscription Benefits Overview of the benefits provided by an OpenIAM subscription - Integrations* * - Verticals * * - Workforce Use Cases* * - CIAM Use Cases* * - Compliance* * - Data Breach Mitigation* * #### Active Directory #### Azure (O365) #### SAP #### Workday #### AWS #### Linux Server #### LDAP #### Microsoft SQL Server #### Google Cloud #### Windows Server #### Oracle EBS #### ServiceNow #### Oracle Fusion #### Entra ID #### Salesforce #### Keycloak #### Custom Applications #### Education Manage identity for students, staff and alumni #### Financial Services Address the compliance and security challenges of the financial sector #### Manufacturing #### Identity Governance That Works in Practice #### Access Governance #### CIAM for Regulated Industries #### NIS2 Achieve compliance with the EU directive for cybersecurity frameworks. #### DORA Comply with the Digital Operational Resilience Act for the EU. #### HIPAA For healthcare organizations seeking HIPAA compliance. #### PCI DSS Compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard #### SOC 2 Solutions for organizations subject to SOC 2 audits #### GDPR Take advantage of OpenIAM to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation #### Social Engineering Attacks - Partners* * #### Current Partners Our Current Partners #### Partner Registration - About Us* * #### About OpenIAM Learn about OpenIAM #### Press Releases References to OpenIAM press releases #### OpenIAM in the Media References to OpenIAM in the media #### Careers Learn about open positions at OpenIAM. - Consulting* * #### Proof of Value Customized engagement to confirm defined proof of value objectives #### Jump Start Customized engagement to rapidly deliver a solution into production #### Solution Implementation Engagement with the objective to deliver a complete IAM solution based on customer requirements - Resources* * #### Videos Collection of videos describing how OpenIAM can be used to solve common use cases #### Community Portal Collaborative community portal to learn more about OpenIAM #### CE Documentation Documentation for the Community Edition #### Blog Musings on identity penned by the OpenIAM team #### Webinar Calendar Upcoming webinars and training sessions #### Workforce Identity Concepts #### Customer Identity Concepts #### SAP SoD Risk Reference for Manufacturing # Identity-First Security ## What is Identity-First Security? ![Overview of Identity First Security](https://www.openiam.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/blog-img16.jpg) Identity-First Security refers to a security approach that emphasizes the use of identity as a central component for securing systems and resources. It focuses on the notion that strong and reliable identification of users, devices, and other entities is crucial for effective security measures. In traditional security models, the emphasis is often placed on securing the network-defined perimeter using tools such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and other network-centric defenses. While these measures are still important, Identity-First Security recognizes that traditional perimeters are becoming less defined due to the increasing adoption of cloud computing, mobile devices, and remote work. In addition, there is a broader trend towards empowering those closest to a task to enable them to allow for a faster and more autonomous response. These changes in how we work are encouraging security leaders to rethink how security should be managed. Identity-First Security involves a shift towards a more granular and context-aware security model that revolves around identities and their associated attributes. It involves the use of technologies and practices such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), identity and access management (IAM), privileged access management (PAM), and Customer IAM. By placing identity at the center of the security model, organizations can establish a stronger level of trust and control over their systems and resources. An Identity-First Security approach emphasizes the following principles: - Consistency – Centralizes policies to consistently manage access across decentralized systems - Context-aware – Uses contextual data associated with identities to assert dynamic decisions - Continuous – Applies adaptive control throughout a session With Identity-First Security, the implementation of policies and controls that are tailored to specific identities allow organizations to enforce the principle of least privilege where users are granted only the necessary permissions to perform their tasks. Furthermore, Identity-First Security enables organizations to monitor and track user activities more effectively. By associating actions with specific identities, organizations can detect anomalous behavior, detect potential insider threats, and respond to security incidents more promptly.   ## Benefits of Identity-First Security ### Stronger authentication By implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) along with complementary technologies such as adaptive authentication, the reduced risk of unauthorized access protects sensitive information. ### Granular access control Identity-First Security enables organizations to implement fine-grained access controls based on user identities and their associated attributes. This principle of least privilege ensures that users have only the necessary access privileges to reduce the risk of privilege misuse and unauthorized access. ### Context-aware security Identity-First Security considers contextual information such as the user's location, device, and behavior patterns to assess the security risk and apply appropriate security measures. This adaptive approach enhances security while minimizing disruptions for legitimate users. ### Improved visibility By associating actions with specific identities, Identity-First Security provides enhanced visibility into user activities. This allows organizations to track and audit user actions more effectively, detect suspicious behavior, and hold users accountable for their actions to discourage insider threats. ### Streamlined user experience Identity-First Security can offer a streamlined user experience by implementing functionality such as passwordless authentication, single sign-on (SSO) solutions, and other self-service options. ### Compliance and regulatory requirements Many compliance standards and regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), require organizations to implement strong identity and access controls. Identity-First Security helps organizations meet these requirements and demonstrate compliance. ### Reduced attack surface By focusing on identity as a central component, Identity-First Security reduces the attack surface for potential threats. Implementing strong authentication and access controls helps mitigate the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches ### Scalability and flexibility Identity-First Security solutions such as OpenIAM are designed to scale with an organization's growth and evolving security needs. ## Let’s Connect #### Managing identity can be complex. Let OpenIAM simplify how you manage all of your identities from a converged modern platform hosted on-premises or in the cloud. For 15 years, OpenIAM has been helping mid to large enterprises globally improve security and end user satisfaction while lowering operational costs. 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