Managing User Access Is Key With Hybrid Clouds

Virtually all enterprises today have sensitive data and critical applications in the cloud. Providing employees and business partners with remote access to those resources without compromising security is a major challenge, especially as the number of users soars. Preventing a data breach and minimizing the risks created by having too many accounts with too much privilege are top priorities for IT decision-makers, according to a recent study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Centrify, an enterprise security provider. But businesses heavily reliant on the cloud can be just as secure as those with on-premises operations, the study showed. In fact, an overwhelming percentage of respondents indicated they have more control of their workloads since migrating to the cloud. They cited Privileged Identity Management (PIM)-as-a-Service as an effective way to secure access. "These hybrid IT trends are driving the need for PIM-as-a-Service solutions," says Theresa Tinston, director of product marketing for Centrify. "Adopters are not only securing privileged access, but also realizing cloud-based benefits, such as speed of implementation and reduced costs." The survey was conducted with 150 IT decision-makers in the U.S. with the title of director or higher in companies with more than 500 employees.