IAM, which is the abbreviation of Identity and Access Management, is the main component of the new cybersecurity policies. IAM solutions assist in the prevention of unauthorized access, data breaches, and other security threats by the management of who is permitted to use the resources and data of your organization. The IAM system is a large investment, both in the money and the operational side. To ensure that your IAM investment will be beneficial, it is essential to assess the return on investment (ROI) properly.
This article will focus on the meaning of the ROI of your IAM investment, the main metrics to be taken into account and the ways of overcoming the usual difficulties in this process. In the end, you will have a complete understanding of how to get the real value of your IAM investment.
Recognizing The Importance Of Assessment Of ROI
Measuring the ROI of your IAM investment is crucial for several reasons: The ROI of your IAM investment is vital for many reasons.
Justifying the Investment: By the measurement of your IAM system, you can prove the value it has for your organization and thus, the initial and ongoing costs will be justifiable.
Optimizing Resource Allocation: The proper ROI measurements will help you to identify the spots where your IAM investment is the most profitable, which will enable you to distribute the resources more effectively and to get the most effect.
Continuous Improvement: The IAM ROI is a value that helps you to evaluate and analyze the performance of your system and consequently assist you in making well-informed decisions about the upgrades, expansions, or adjustments to your IAM strategy.
Demonstrating Compliance: The majority of industries have regulatory requirements that are associated with access management and data security. The ROI of your IAM investment can help you demonstrate compliance and, at the same time, reduce the risk of costly fines or penalties.
Key Metrics For Measuring The ROI Of IAM Investment
When it comes to measuring the ROI of your IAM investment, there are several key metrics to consider:
Cost Savings:
- Cutbacks in IT support and help desk expenses as a result of the improved access management are the main advantages of the innovative program.
- The lowered expenses tied to security incidents like data leaks or unauthorized access are some of the benefits that society is already getting from the widespread use of face pictures.
- The time that is saved on user provisioning and de-provisioning is the most significant aspect of spending less money on building the system.
Productivity Gains:
- Employee productivity is elevated by the speedier access to the resources that are essential for them.
- The ease of access via a mobile device for the employees contributes to the reduction of the time that they are spending on manual access management tasks.
- Better cooperation and the exchange of information based on which the security of the process was ensured are the results of the efficient control of the access to the data, which was achieved through the system of secure access controls.
Risk Mitigation:
- Lower chances of data breaches or other security incidents are also the pros of this method.
- Better compliance with the industry rules and standards was achieved through the AI system.
- Lower chances of legal and regulatory penalty charges are the outcome of the regulations that will be covered in this work.
Operational Efficiency:
- The condensed user onboarding and offboarding processes are the time-saving practices that enable to make the user experience more convenient for first-time visitors and consistent loyal users.
- Automated access reviews and approvals are an example of how a business can increase its productivity by reducing the manual and time-consuming process of reviewing and approving authorizations.
- The centralized visibility and control over the user access are the principal advantages that the Passwords replaced with Biometric Features.
User Experience:
- The improved user satisfaction with the access management processes is what the sentence is about.
- The cut down in frustration and the absence of time-wasting due to access-related problems are examples of this benefit.
- Employees with a high level of engagement and who are being kept in the company are the ones who have lower turnover rates.
- Through the monitoring and examination of these important indicators, you can obtain a complete picture of the value your IAM investment is producing for your organization.
Usual Difficulties In Calculating The IAM ROI
The ROI of an IAM investment can be difficult to measure due to the following factors:
- Data Collection and Availability: The process of getting the data to calculate ROI may be very long and it might be necessary to combine several systems and data sources.
- Intangible Benefits: The benefits of IAM that are difficult to evaluate in terms of money are enhanced security and compliance.
- Organizational Complexity: Large corporations with numerous business units, intricate IT systems, and various user groups may have a problem in the implementation of a trustworthy and precise ROI measurement system.
- Changing Requirements: The requirements of your organization and the IAM landscape keep changing and as a result, the metrics and methods used to measure the ROI may be adjusted thus, the need for the review and refinement to be continued.
- Lack of Baseline Data: The lack of historical data or a clear picture of the pre-IAM investment state is the reason why it is so hard to measure the impact of your IAM system correctly.
Techniques To Analyze IAM ROI Effectively
To overcome these challenges and effectively measure the ROI of your IAM investment, consider the following strategies:
- Establish a Baseline: Collect and analyze the information on your company’s access management, security incidents and IT support costs before you implement the IAM solution. The baseline will help you in measuring the progress.
- Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Pick the specific metrics that are the most suitable to your company’s goals and priorities, for instance, the reduction of costs, the increase of productivity, or the risk reduction.
- Automate Data Collection: Make use of the reporting and analytics capabilities of your IAM system and the other tools to ease the data collection and ensure the correctness and validity of the data.
- Adopt a Holistic Approach: Just have a look at the wider effect of your IAM investment, which also includes intangible benefits like improved security, compliance, and user experience. Design a complete ROI analysis that includes both the tangible and the non-tangible factors.
- Involve Stakeholders: Get the main parties, for instance, IT, security, and business leaders, to participate in the process of setting up the ROI measurement approach so that it is under the strategic objectives and priorities of your organization.
- Continuously Monitor and Refine: Always, re-examine and adjust your ROI measurement process to the requirements of the new technologies and the changing business needs. This will help you to maintain the relevance and the accuracy of your ROI calculations.
Using these strategies, you will be able to get rid of the usual problems in the measurement of IAM ROI and you will be able to find out the real value of your investment.
Conclusion
The ROI of your IAM investment is the primary reason for the approval of the initial budget, the optimization of the resource allocation and the continuous improvement. By focusing on the main indicators, such as cost reduction, productivity increase, risk reduction, operation efficiency, and user experience you will be able to see the whole picture of the value your IAM system is adding.
Remember, the IM ROI measurement process is an ongoing activity and it needs to be constantly monitored, refined and adapted to make sure that your organization is still getting the best from its IM investment. Therefore, you will be able to show the true worth of your IAM investment and your organization will be on the road to long-term success.
