The new year brings new opportunities for businesses and data center operators to improve their access control management. According to Help Net Security, several trends are set to take off in 2014 in the ID and access management field, having an impact on how firms optimize data center security operations.
“We believe that the technology trends of cloud, mobile and social will continue to heavily influence the direction and need for IAM in 2014, but we also see new business demands and enabling technologies joining in to put a twist on the IAM and security path for many organizations,” Mike Denning, senior vice president and general manager for CA Technologies’ security business, told the news source.
Of course, trends like cloud computing, mobility and the software-defined data center are having an impact on how businesses control and manage their data, but when it comes to actual building access control, there are important implications to consider as well. As companies invest more in the cloud, how do they know their security options are optimized? Will mobile accessibility affect data security? Will the software-defined data center change how companies manage their physical servers? These questions will need to be considered and addressed as the year progresses.
Optimizing access control management beyond these factors will require new solutions to keep up with the accompanying trends. To this end, many enterprises may want to consider biometric technology. Biometric authentication in the form of fingerprint scanners and the like will establish a standardization of security protocols that modern data centers need. Paired with a scalable, flexible access control system, these technologies will ensure streamlined operations without reducing security, as authorized personnel will still have quick and easy access to whatever they need while the building, server rack or room is effectively locked down to other entry.
As the consumerization of IT spreads this more personalized form of security is also helpful is providing peace of mind to businesses and data center staff. Biometric security options are becoming better understood and more commonplace, making people more comfortable with the technology, and while security is still a major issue to contend with, simplifying the approach to it can help streamline success.
Access control management may be evolving, but that doesn’t mean businesses have to scramble to keep up with the necessary changes.