Identity is a critical component in today’s business landscape, akin to electricity in terms of ensuring smooth operations. Just as companies have backup power sources for when the grid goes down, having an identity continuity plan is essential to keep critical IT systems running in case the primary identity provider is offline. With the increasing reliance on cloud-based identity providers, the risk of outages due to various factors like provider issues, natural disasters, or connectivity problems is higher than ever.
To develop a robust identity continuity strategy, organizations can turn to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, which provides a structured approach to managing cybersecurity risks. The framework consists of five core functions: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. Each of these functions is crucial in creating an effective identity continuity plan.
The first step, as outlined in the framework, is to identify and inventory all applications, policies, and identities within the organization. Distinguishing between different user groups and classifying resources based on criticality helps prioritize efforts. Regularly testing the continuity plan through routine tests is essential to identify gaps and ensure its readiness for real disruptions.
Protecting identity operations involves ensuring continuous access to identity services, especially in the context of zero-trust architectures where continuous authentication and authorization checks are required for each access request. Developing disaster recovery plans alongside continuity planning ensures that policies and resources can be quickly restored in case of a rebuild.
Detecting issues in the identity infrastructure requires centralized analytics and reporting to monitor service availability continuously. Regular testing helps identify weaknesses in the infrastructure and ensures that the continuity plan remains effective in real-world scenarios.
Responding to incidents involves maintaining continuous identity operations through failover mechanisms and predefined continuity actions for various scenarios. Having multiple layers of failover mechanisms, including primary and on-premises IDPs as backups, ensures redundancy and resilience in case of disruptions.
Recovering from incidents requires a well-defined incident management plan to guide failover, failback, and resolution steps. Disaster recovery backups play a crucial role in swift recovery from identity service outages, minimizing downtime and disruption to business operations.
Governance is essential for continuous monitoring and policy management to ensure adherence to established policies and to track access requests and activities for any unusual patterns that may indicate security threats. By following the NIST Cybersecurity Framework and implementing a comprehensive identity continuity plan, organizations can mitigate the risks posed by disruptions in identity services and avoid costly outages that can damage both finances and brand reputation.