Consumer IAM Is Much More Than Simply Implementing Technology

Customer Identity Management (CIAM) might appear to be a straightforward exercise, but it is much more complex than the usual password authentications and easy security measures.

Simply jumping into a new technology headfirst isn’t going to ensure a successful program. 

A proper foundation for decision-making and consideration of the people is necessary for the identity management strategy to be effective. Significant changes are required when you look at issues with customer data around systems and users of an organization. Managing identities in a linear fashion is not possible like managing a production line. Developing flexible strategies that adapt to changing business and support organization chaos is necessary.

What is Customer Identity Management?

It is a security and access management discipline that provides access to the right entities, for using the right resource, without any obstacle, with the devices of their preference. CIAM includes processes and systems that let enterprises provide a single digital identity to every user, offer authentication when they log in, access specific resources by authorization, and manage those identities during their lifecycle. 

CIAM is an important aspect of an organization’s security since it stands between its assets and users. A successful identity management program will ensure the streamlined functioning of a digital system and enhance business productivity. There is centralized management that provides seamless access to the specific resources to its users for carrying out their jobs, no matter where the employee is. 

Simply treating it as a project where you implement the technology for identity management solutions isn’t enough. You also need to take into account the audit aspect.

Why is Identity Management Strategy Required?

In the digital space, consumers have many choices, so the best way to keep them loyal and repeat customers is to provide them with a great user experience. 

Identity management strategy is the key to providing such omnichannel experiences for customers. Customer identity management enables you to manage the relationships between your business and your customers by storing relevant information about them in one place. 

It involves the creation of profiles that contain all of this information, which can be used to create personalized marketing strategies. Customer identity management also allows you to manage all of your customer interactions across multiple channels to provide a consistent experience for each person who interacts with your company. For example, if someone contacts you through email and then calls into your call center later on in the day, their information will be available to both agents so that they can pick up where they left off when speaking with them. 

Strategies for Successful Customer Identity Management

An effective CIAM strategy should inspire an organization and challenge it for transformations that go beyond the limitations of the business. So, for the success of your identity management strategy, address the following areas. 

1. Recognize Customer Pain Points

Understanding where you are is the first step in developing a customer identity management strategy. Conducting a formal analysis of the customer journey, user lifecycle, and provisioning processes with data governance is essential. These will provide a look into the pain points and struggles of your customers.

2. Identify new opportunities

Simply reviewing journeys and processes during the assessment won’t be enough, as you also need to talk to the internal and external stakeholders to identify new opportunities for leveraging IAM. A company’s technology and business aspect is a consolidation of every metric that provides an evidence-based narrative on the contribution.

3. Gain Insights

The above points help you understand where you are and your goal. Considering a portfolio-wide strategic approach to advanced technology is necessary to maximize benefits from the identity management strategy. Organizing interviews across the company will make the business a part of the process, drive awareness, and ensure a strategy that resonates with people.

4. Create the Roadmap

Creating the correct roadmap for the end goal from where you are today is the next step. Look at the supermarket analogy of packaged items in the categorized order, each having the cost of production and a price. These are measurable outcomes that were developed by partnering with the business. A good vision and a plan will guide investment in digital transformation. It also helps align the company’s spending on customer identity management to improve the outcomes for businesses and stakeholders.

Simplifying the Customer Identity Management Process

A company needs to have a disciplined implementation methodology to be successful. Leaders need to focus on the developed, streamlined identity management foundation and look beyond just coping with identifying data mess using overly-customized bloatware.

The evolution of technology has led to needing other secondary skills rather than just technical skills. Organizations are looking for people who can look beyond the technology aspect and focus more on the business value and its impact on the customers. With technologies like biometrics and voice recognition used as security measures, you can see the influence of the human aspect in identity management. 

Conclusion

The requirement for making authentication easier with data collection and risk assessment continues to grow with evolution. Considering how this evolution is taking place and how organizations can support it is more than just using the technological aspect of identity management.

The end goal is to provide top-notch identity security solutions that ultimately lead to quality value for your customers on your platform.