IT Security Productivity
Few people want to talk about the nitty-gritty of IT Security productivity, but the reality is that companies are spending ever-increasing amounts on IT security so productivity is a topic that isn’t going away.
Time is Money
Like it or not, every task that requires an employee’s time comes at a price. If a person is paid $300 per day and they spend half a day updating your log management system, then that is a $150 task.
What is the business getting out of its investment in a person or system? That is the underlying question in much of financial analysis. Seemingly hidden drains on time and systems weigh heavily on productivity and hence, profitability.
The inefficient handling of security tools often emerges as a key root cause of lower productivity. A security team typically has to stay on top of intrusion detection systems, firewalls, identity management systems, patch management schedules, and so forth. It can be a lot to take care of, potentially contributing to delays in overall IT processes. Privileged Access Management (PAM) can help increase efficiency in managing all these disparate security systems.
Security and IT Productivity
Returning to our example of a half-day log management update, if updating software on that log management server also requires resetting configurations on three connected security systems, the procedure will take a while. It will also require privileged access to the log management system and the three connected systems.
A PAM solution is dedicated to managing privileged access and can help speed up this kind of update and comparable tasks by enabling super admins to efficiently grant and revoke privileged access across all relevant systems in a single pane. Workers can quickly gain access to all the systems they need to administer. For this reason, PAM can streamline the security aspects of many IT management processes — bolstering IT and security productivity while enhancing accountability and auditability.
The super admin has overall visibility over who has access to which resources. He or she can update accesses and privileges very easily while ensuring maximum security. If there is an incident, or even a question about how a system is being administered, the PAM solution provides a log of privileged account sessions. The security team can quickly understand who has done what, making the security process productive and effective. Fast responses and quick access to in-depth incident reporting also contributes to better IT productivity. Lengthy incident investigations can be a huge drain on IT and security resources.
Privileged users may not be employees, so PAM must encompass all people with privileged access in order to improve IT productivity. If third-party companies, such as outsourced IT vendors, need privileged access, the process of requesting and granting access can be time consuming if there is no PAM solution in place.
The Impact of WALLIX PAM Solutions on IT Security Productivity
WALLIX has a proven history of increasing the efficiency of IT security operations.
Easy and Seamless Integration & Installation
The WALLIX solution features an agent-less architecture. This approach eliminates the risk that changes in protected systems will require extensive revamping of the PAM solution. Many other PAM solutions require a dedicated software agent on each administered device or workstation. Dedicated agents can delay PAM implementation and create difficulties when applications get upgraded. In contrast, WALLIX is architected to quickly interface with virtually any application or device, including your security systems such as identity management solutions, SIEM, log management tools, etc.
Global Control Of Access Rights
WALLIX sets up a single gateway with single sign-on for access by system admins, regardless of their location or corporate affiliation. This Access Manager streamlines the management of privileged users and gives super admins a single pane to review, grant, and revoke privileged access across their entire infrastructure. All passwords are stored in a secure and certified Password Vault.
For the privileged users, the Access Manager is a huge enabler of productivity as it allows them to connect to virtually any approved resource with a single click directly via the Bastion or using native RDP and SSH clients. This greatly speeds authorized work, especially by remote employees and contractors.
Real-Time Alerts
The WALLIX Session Manager monitors privileged users’ session activity in real time in order to manage access and provide a comprehensive audit trail. It gives senior IT managers an efficient way to get an overview of security operations. Productivity is further enhanced by the tool’s ability to be configured to intervene automatically when user access policies are breached. Reducing manual steps in security incident response saves time.
Easy Reporting And Compliance
The Session Manager ensures that all users are accountable for their actions. The centralized system allows super admins to quickly compile reports showing who did what and when. By creating an unalterable audit trail for any privileged action, WALLIX speeds up the process of interpreting what might have happened in any incident. This makes for fast and easy compliance and regulatory reporting.
Forensics Information in a Single Pane
In the event of a breach, WALLIX provides invaluable forensics data. In addition to a complete recording of command line sessions, WALLIX provides a DVR-like recording of RDP and VNC graphic sessions that captures everything on a privileged user’s screen… from mouse movements to text commands. It even includes an optical character recognition (OCR) system so that every action is completely searchable. This data can also be used to feed real-time systems like dashboards and SIEMs.
