Michelle Fallon

December 12, 2023

“Authorization answers the question of who can access what and under what circumstances. It takes a well-defined, well-authenticated identity to manage and control the connection to digital assets.” – Gal Helemski, Co-founder and CTO of PlainID

Introduction

In today’s ever-evolving digital landscape, organizations face an unprecedented challenge: protecting their data and systems from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats while complying with stringent data privacy regulations. The significance of modern authorization for enhancing security measures and attaining data compliance cannot be overstated. To shed light on this critical subject, Dr. Edward Amoroso, CEO of TAG Cyber, and Gal Helemski, CPO and Co-Founder of PlainID, joined forces to deliver a webinar. In this blog post, we’ll explore the key highlights from their discussion, providing insights into how modern authorization can help organizations navigate the complexities of cybersecurity and data compliance.

Reinforce Risk Management Strategy with Modern Authorization

The webinar commenced with a deep dive into risk-based authorization and its pivotal role in enhancing security. Dr. Amoroso emphasized the importance of proactively managing security and access, especially in an era where cyber threats are continually evolving. Risk-based authorization, he explained, aligns perfectly with the “never trust, always verify” philosophy of the Zero Trust Paradigm.

Understanding Zero Trust

Zero Trust is a cybersecurity approach that challenges the traditional notion of trust within a network. Instead of assuming that everything within the network is trustworthy, Zero Trust assumes that no entity, whether inside or outside the network, can be trusted by default. This approach requires continuous verification and strict access controls to ensure that only authorized users and devices gain access to critical resources.

Benefits of Implementing Risk-Based Authorization

Gal Helemski delved into the practical aspects of implementing risk-based authorization within an organization. She emphasized the importance of analyzing various factors, including user behavior, device health, and contextual data, to determine the appropriate level of access an entity should be granted. By assessing the risk associated with each access request, organizations can make informed decisions and minimize the potential for security breaches.

The benefits of adopting risk-based authorization enables organizations to:

• Reduce the attack surface by limiting access to only what is necessary.
• Enhance the user experience by providing seamless, context-aware access.
• Achieve compliance with data privacy regulations by implementing granular access controls.

Navigating Data Compliance Regulations through Modern Authorization

As data privacy regulations evolve and tighten, organizations must stay ahead of the curve to ensure compliance. Modern authorization plays a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive data and meeting the demands of ever-changing mandates. Gal Helemski and Dr. Amoroso discussed how Authorization supports organizations in achieving and maintaining compliance.

Fine-Grained Access Controls

Fine-grained access controls are essential for compliance with shifting data regulations. By leveraging modern authorization, organizations can define and enforce highly specific access rules based on the sensitivity of the data and the user’s role. This level of granularity ensures that sensitive information remains protected while enabling legitimate users to access the data they need to perform their jobs.

Leveraging the Benefits of Centralized Authorization Policy Management

The final segment of the webinar focused on the advantages of centralizing authorization policy management. The presenters highlighted the significance of externalizing and centralizing policy management. Centralized policy management provides better control, visibility, efficiency, and standardization, resulting in an improved security posture for the organization.

Implementing Centralized Authorization Policy Management

Gal Helemski emphasized that implementing centralized authorization policy management requires careful planning and execution. It involves integrating authorization solutions with existing systems and applications, mapping out access control requirements, and establishing a clear governance framework. Partnering with a vendor expert, like PlainID,  in the authorization space can be paramount to success.

More control, visibility, efficiency, and standardization = Better Security

Conclusion

In an era where cybersecurity threats are evolving rapidly, and data privacy regulations are becoming increasingly stringent, understanding modern authorization is essential for organizations striving to fortify their security measures and achieve data compliance.

By reinforcing risk management strategies with risk-based authorization, organizations can proactively manage security and access, aligning with the principles of the Zero Trust Paradigm. This approach minimizes the attack surface and enhances both security and user experience.

Navigating data compliance regulations through modern authorization enables organizations to protect sensitive data and demonstrate compliance with ever-changing mandates. Fine-grained access controls and audit trails are critical components of this journey.

Centralized policy management enables organizations to centralize and externalize policy management, enhancing visibility, manageability, and control over authorization policies. This approach streamlines policy enforcement, ensuring organizations can adapt to evolving security and compliance requirements.

In conclusion, modern authorization is pivotal for organizations seeking to strengthen their cybersecurity posture, protect sensitive data, and remain compliant in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

Learn more by watching the complete on-demand webinar today.