While the ability to access data on-the-go is becoming a “must-have” in the business world, security is often not the top priority. Currently, a trending topic is adaptive authentication, which is the process of adapting authentication methods depending on the scenario and risks involved. Consulting firm Capgemini conducted a survey of 800 executives across the United States and Europe and found that especially in the legal industry, there’s a significant gap between providing access and whether it’s secure.
Making it happen:
To stay competitive, businesses have to find ways to manage access between different parties and their respective needs when using cloud-based services. There is a big discrepancy between the 62 percent who cited the need for businesses to allow their employees extensive access to their web-based services and the 26 percent of companies that currently do so. In the legal industry, this discrepancy comes from the reluctance of companies to adopt the technology.
Staying in control:
Ensuring the right person has the access to resources at the right time is critical for businesses, who face catastrophic consequences if data ends up in the wrong hands. It’s clear that the days of entering a username and password are in the past since 84 percent of the respondents recognised the need to offer more flexible authentication methods. In line with adaptive authentication, more companies are looking into the possibilities logging in using social media profiles.
What’s the cost?
Managing user access is often done per business function or even per application, which results in significant costs to maintain separate processes and their functions. Luckily 60 percent of executives surveyed reported a budget increase. This suggests that companies are closing the gap to give their practices a boost, which isn’t a bad thing in light of the number of online data breaches that have happened in recent years.
Takeaway:
While companies are eager to use a bunch of web-based services, they tend to overlook security. Without the right practices in place, there’s no guarantee that users are who they say they are when trying to access services. It seems as if the ideal solution is asking users to come as they are by using their existing social media accounts, as long as it can be done securely.
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