AWS and Cloudanix team co-authored this blog: Real-Time Threat and Anomaly Detection for Workloads on AWS

Identity and Access Management - The New Edge of Security

Explore IAM’s evolution, best practices, and its impact on organizational security.

What is IAM overview

Identity and Access Management - The New Edge of Security

The network is not the perimeter. Identity is the perimeter.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) has traditionally been considered one of the boring parts of security. But with the rise in the field of cloud computing, IAM has become increasingly important and is now referred to as “the new edge of security.”

Earlier, network security controls such as firewalls and IP restrictions were the primary means of protecting systems and data. However, cloud environments limit visibility and control over the networking layer, making traditional perimeter defenses less effective.

Cloud-based models allow for broader and more distributed access, increasing the attack surface and complicating access control.

This is where IAM plays a critical role. IAM provides a centralized way to manage access to resources, whether those resources are on-premises or in the cloud. By implementing IAM, organizations can define and enforce who gets access to what, and under what conditions.

Why IAM is Crucial in the Cloud

Highlights from a ScaleToZero podcast episode featuring Chad:

  • It is necessary to maintain control as applications and data migrate to the cloud.
  • Cloud platforms offer limited built-in security controls, making IAM essential.
  • IAM simplifies compliance by offering centralized access management.
  • IAM reduces the risk of breaches by ensuring only authorized access to sensitive data.

If you are moving to the cloud or already operate in the cloud, a strong IAM strategy is essential.


Tips for Implementing a Strong IAM Program

  • Implement IAM JIT (Just-In-Time): Team members should not have standing access. Access should be granted only when required.
  • Define a Clear IAM Policy: Create strict access policies that are role-based and well-documented.
  • Use Strong Authentication: Enforce MFA, hardware tokens like Yubikey, or access tokens.
  • Monitor User Activity: Set up logging and alerts to detect suspicious behavior.
  • Review IAM Policies Regularly: Ensure policies evolve with the organization’s needs.

Cloudanix IAM JIT lets your team request limited-time access to permissions in just a few clicks, with full traceability and control.


How Has IAM Evolved in the Last Five Years?

IAM is no longer just about assigning permissions. Here’s how it’s changing:

  • Proactive Security: Instead of reacting to incidents, organizations now anticipate and prevent IAM risks.
  • IAM Automation: Tasks like provisioning and de-provisioning users are increasingly automated.
  • IAM Security Tools: More tools are being used to detect and respond to IAM threats.
  • Cloud IAM Adoption: Organizations need fine-grained control over access to cloud resources.
  • Complex IAM Environments: As businesses scale, IAM must balance security with usability.
  • Auditor Visibility with IAM JIT: IAM JIT helps auditors verify access logs, durations, and actions.

Communicating IAM’s Business Value to Stakeholders

Security teams must align IAM efforts with business outcomes to gain stakeholder support:

  • Align with Business Goals: Show how IAM supports compliance, reduces fraud, and boosts innovation.
  • Quantify the Impact: Highlight reductions in security incidents or operational costs.
  • Use Simple Language: Avoid jargon when explaining IAM to non-technical audiences.
  • Tailor Messages: A CFO, CTO, and CIO each care about different aspects of IAM.

Practical Ways to Communicate IAM Value:

  • Build a business case that outlines cost, benefit, and risk reduction.
  • Use dashboards that show IAM metrics: unauthorized access attempts, provisioning speed, etc.
  • Share success stories of IAM helping achieve compliance or preventing incidents.
  • Integrate IAM with the broader security strategy.
  • Involve all departments in IAM policy development and training.
  • Continually assess and optimize IAM performance.

IAM JIT and Cloudanix

Cloudanix IAM Just-In-Time (JIT) ensures temporary, auditable, and secure access across your cloud platforms. Teams gain the right permissions at the right time with clear expiration and audit trails.


Additional Resources


Remember: In the cloud, the network is not the perimeter. Identity is.

What Our Users Are Saying

Customer Reviews

Cloudanix is trusted by security leaders worldwide to deliver proactive, reliable, and cutting-edge cloud security.

One day, I changed the password of a root account, and my CTO called me within less than a minute to confirm if I did so. I was not expecting a reaction this quick. He told me Cloudanix alerted him of this password change and that he wanted to confirm as it was a critical security notification. I couldn't believe it!

Ritesh Agarwal
Ritesh Agarwal
CEO, Airgap Networks

Compliance is one way of staying secure, but what I want is the ability to go deeper and attain 'true security.' Cloudanix provides us the capability to do so.

Vishal Madan
Vishal Madan
Head of Engineering, iMocha

Cloudanix is building for the future of the cloud, which makes the product all the more desirable.

Ritesh Agarwal
Ritesh Agarwal
CEO, Airgap Networks

Cloudanix gave us the visibility we were missing. Being able to move from permanent access to a robust Just-In-Time (JIT) workflow has fundamentally changed our security posture without slowing down our engineering velocity.

Pavan Kumar Lekkala
Pavan Kumar Lekkala
SRE Lead, HugoHub

We are excited to leverage Cloudanix's comprehensive multi-cloud DevSecOps solution to secure our production workloads on AWS. Cloudanix has demonstrated that it can solve many challenges that DevSecOps teams face while continually adding new features such as SOC2 compliance and drift detection.

Satish Mohan
Satish Mohan
Co-founder & CTO, Airgap Networks

Managing third-party partner access was once a major concern for our security posture. With Cloudanix JIT Cloud, we've effectively achieved zero third-party risk. We can now grant access confidently, knowing that it is temporary, audited, and automatically revoked, resulting in a 100% reduction in our privileged access exposure.

Okesh Badhiye
Okesh Badhiye
Head of Technical Engineering, Finfinity

The snooze feature and responsible alerts have helped us save time and prioritize what to tackle first.

Satish Mohan
Satish Mohan
Co-founder & CTO, Airgap Networks

Implementing Cloudanix JIT internally allowed us to practice what we preach. By eliminating permanent access to our own clouds and databases, we've neutralized the risk of standing privileges, ensuring our own 'keys to the kingdom' are never left exposed.

Girish Manghnani
Girish Manghnani
Managing Partner, Tech Inspira

The problem with permissions is a lot of times, the gaps are left open due to oversights from inside the organization itself. With Cloudanix's CIEM, we get a complete view of user permissions and access. This enables us to update the permissions, reducing the attack surface.

Nilesh Pethani
Nilesh Pethani
Application Architect, iMocha

In the world of Fintech, trust is our currency. Cloudanix provided the frictionless visibility we needed to secure our EKS workloads across AWS, ensuring we stay audit-ready for SOC2 and GDPR without slowing down our engineering velocity.

Amol Naik
Amol Naik
Head of Security & Infrastructure, HugoHub

Cloudanix delivered value within 5 minutes of onboarding. Continuous monitoring, timely detection, and excellent documentation helped us attain a great cloud security posture.

Divyanshu Shukla
Senior DevSecOps, Meesho

Technology strategies and business strategies are in a state of constant change which includes centralization and decentralization of responsibilities. Regardless of strategic shift, we still have intellectual property to protect. Cloudanix are critical partners for us in our public cloud security posture across our three cloud providers.

Jerry Locke
Jerry Locke
Senior Director Global Solutions Engineering, Eversana

Cloudanix has been amazing. They opened up a common Slack channel with us — and it feels like we are talking to our own team and getting things done with Cloud security. The support team is always available, friendly, helpful, and ready to go out of their way.

Satish Mohan
Satish Mohan
CTO, Airgap Networks

Beyond just access management, Cloudanix CSPM has given us a unified view of our AWS environment. The real-time alerting and anomaly detection allow us to prevent any untoward activity before it happens, which is critical for a marketplace connecting 50+ financial institutions.

Okesh Badhiye
Okesh Badhiye
Head of Technical Engineering, Finfinity

For a Fintech company, data is our most valuable — and most sensitive — asset. Cloudanix DAM hasn't just improved our visibility; it has given us control. The ability to mask data and prevent unauthorized queries in real-time is a game-changer for our compliance and customer trust.

Jiten Gala
Jiten Gala
President Engineering and Product, Kapittx

Our clients, especially in the Middle East financial sector, demand absolute accountability. Cloudanix JIT Cloud has been a competitive differentiator for us, allowing us to provide secure, governed access to customer accounts that meet their strictest audit and compliance requirements.

Girish Manghnani
Girish Manghnani
Managing Partner, Tech Inspira

Cloudanix is always on my team's lips because of its exceptional support. Be it a small or big query, Cloudanix has gone above and beyond to resolve them. This one's a keeper for us.

Sujit Karpe
Sujit Karpe
CTO, iMocha

For a long-lasting partnership, great support goes a long way. Cloudanix has delivered exceptional support whenever required. Their edge is their team is always ready to go beyond to solve any issues that we have. This speaks volumes about the culture at Cloudanix.

Akash Maheshwari
Akash Maheshwari
Co-founder, MoveInSync

Beyond the technology, Cloudanix feels like an extension of our own team. Their willingness to stand up a dedicated Middle East tenant for us and provide exceptional support at a sensible price makes them a long-term partner for Hugosave.

Surya Tamada
Surya Tamada
CTO, HugoHub

The real-time notifications that Cloudanix provides are a real lifesaver. Their adaptive notifications ensure that my team stays productive and doesn't get interrupted all the time.

Digvijay Singh
Staff Security Engineer, Meesho

The whole point in technological evolution is to help improve the world we live in. We must protect that and to do so requires an effective and efficient security strategy. The Cloudanix team helped make our public cloud security posture management strategy a reality. The symbiotic relationship we have allows for a continuous feedback loop which is how business should operate.

Larry Wheat
Larry Wheat
Staff Solutions Engineer, Eversana

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