Identity, Access & Zero Trust

Modern identity security focuses on controlling who and what can access systems, data, and services based on identity, context, and risk. It treats identity as the primary security control plane across cloud, on-prem, SaaS, and automated workloads.

As organisations move to cloud, SaaS, and hybrid working, traditional network boundaries become less relevant. Identity now determines access decisions, making it central to preventing unauthorised access and limiting blast radius.

Zero Trust relies on strong identity controls to remove implicit trust. Identity provides the signals used to continuously verify access, enforce least privilege, and adapt controls based on risk.

Legacy IAM often struggles with access sprawl, excessive privilege, manual processes, and poor visibility. These issues grow over time as environments expand and new platforms are added.

Many breaches involve compromised credentials, excessive access, or poorly governed privileged accounts. Weak identity controls allow attackers to move laterally and escalate privileges once initial access is gained.

An IAM strategy defines target architecture, guiding principles, and priorities aligned to business and regulatory needs. A roadmap then sequences improvements to reduce risk without disrupting operations. 

Effective access design uses risk-based and adaptive controls rather than blanket restrictions. This allows strong security while minimising friction for low-risk users and activities.

Over time, organisations accumulate multiple identity platforms across business units and technologies. Rationalisation reduces cost, complexity, and operational risk while improving consistency and control.

IGA provides structure around joiner, mover, and leaver processes, access certification, and accountability. It helps ensure access is appropriate, reviewed, and defensible over time.

Privileged accounts have broad control over systems and data. If misused or compromised, they can enable widespread damage with limited detection.

JIT and ephemeral access remove standing privilege by granting elevated access only when needed and for a limited time. This significantly reduces attack surface and insider risk.

Service accounts, APIs, and automation often lack clear ownership and governance. These identities can accumulate excessive permissions and become difficult to monitor or rotate safely.

CIEM helps organisations understand and manage cloud access entitlements, identify excessive permissions, and reduce privilege risk across cloud platforms.

Governance at scale combines clear ownership, lifecycle controls, and identity technology that enforces policy through automation across both human and machine identities.

A practical Zero Trust strategy defines clear principles, target architecture, and phased implementation. It focuses on identity, access, and segmentation rather than wholesale technology replacement.

Zero Trust is typically implemented incrementally, aligning controls to risk and critical assets first. This allows organisations to strengthen security without large-scale disruption.

ZTNA provides identity-based access to applications without implicit network trust. It is commonly used to replace or modernise traditional remote access models.

In identity-led designs, SASE supports secure access by enforcing policy based on user, device, and context. Identity remains the decision point rather than the network alone.