It has been increasingly observed that companies are moving towards managing their IAM projects in-house, rather than engaging an outside vendor. Although, the step has its own merits, starting with gaining greater control over project delivery and saving cost in the short-run, for a long-term perspective, such a move could lead to multiple issues for the organizations to address.
Here’s what might go wrong if you are solely dependent on an in-house IAM resource:
- Lack of Good IAM Resources: Although organizations are favoring inclined towards full-time consultants rather than contractors, they soon face roadblock when they are unable to find the right talent for the profile. Not only skill shortage in the IT security sector hindering the growth of companies, but it has been seen that the workforce is not adequately prepared to handle demands of future novel technology, data centers, big data, enterprise solutions etc.
- Inability to Outsmart Growing Security Threats: In the last few years, organizations have been under tremendous pressure due to huge surge in data thefts, hacking threats and malware, along with complying with stringent regulatory environment. It becomes virtually impossible for an in-house IAM resource or team to deal with such sophisticated security practices on an on-going basis, while keeping the systems updated to safeguard it from future threats.
- Absence of Diverse IAM Portfolio and Expertise: IT security is no longer a linear function, focusing solely on protecting data through encryption and software. It has become more complex in nature, with even small businesses getting digital, while sectors such as health care, financial services and retail constantly struggling to keep their consumer data safe. However, to handle such data centers, most in-house teams are not adequately prepared to maintain a comprehensive IT security environment. Companies are usually seen hiring resources with generic IAM skill sets, rather than going for specialized members for each expertise area. This leads to inherent dilemmas in managing complex systems, inability to fill gap areas and greater chances of data theft.
- Lack of Support While Scaling up Business: Business are constantly evolving and scaling up as per changing consumer and corporate demands. With this, the IAM system also requires tweaking and constant upgradation to accommodate such changes. However, an in-house team that is already taxed with regular work may not be able to provide adequate support for such dynamic business environment. For instance, companies are seen rapidly adopting BYOD policies, which mean greater IAM protocols to be followed on a customized level. For an in-house team to manage such a task might not be a feasible option.
On the contrary, when an organization hires an outside agency to manage their IAM capabilities, they bring on to the table a complete end-to-end IAM solution. Not only such agencies recommend the right IAM solutions, but also deploy customized solutions as per the requirements and changing business dynamics of the organization. Further, with diverse skill sets and expertise in varied industries, IAM vendors are able to provide more proactive services to help companies mitigate data theft and other security issues.
The choice, however, rests with the company – whether to hire an in-house IAM resource or to go for a specialized IAM agency?
