Helping a Client Understand Why They Need IAM

By Clinton Courier | April 19, 2022 |

Female Engineer Controller Observes Working of the System. In the Background People Working and Monitors Show Various Information.

If you run a company that does IT work for clients, it’s helpful if you can get them to understand a few basic concepts. IT might be your department, but if your clients know some of the fundamentals, it’s easier for you to explain what their company needs. They will also understand why they need to spend money on it.

IAM is one of the concepts you might need to explain to your clients. We’ll talk about how you can do that right now.

What Exactly is IAM?

Understanding how Identity and Access Management (IAM) works is probably not all that difficult for someone in the IT field, but if you don’t know much about information technology, it can confuse you. IAM, or identity and access management, describes a particular IT function. It’s a security discipline that companies need to implement if they want to keep their information secure.

As an IT company, if you put IAM in place, then individuals within a client’s business can access the proper resources at the right time. They can also do so for the right reasons.

In other words, setting up IAM is all about making sure the right people can access what they require to do their jobs, whatever that might entail. You’re also blocking anyone who shouldn’t see confidential information from looking at it or potentially stealing it.

What Can IAM Do?

In addition to what we just explained, if you put IAM in place for a client, they can securely manage resources like networks, files, applications, and devices. If you have a client running a company, it’s more than likely they’ll have some or all of these resources, regardless of their business model.

If you install IAM, you’re putting in place a directory service protocol that’s easy for a client to learn how to use, even if they are not very tech-savvy. It’s hard to overemphasize how much that matters.

With IAM, the client’s computer system will know to verify user identities. It will allow workers access while blocking out any potentially malicious or unknown users.

How Can You Frame This So that a Client Can Understand It?

When you put it this way, the IAM concept does not seem that difficult to comprehend, but you might need to frame it in a slightly different way for a client to allow you to install it. The thing about IAM is that putting the framework in place costs money. Clients might express reluctance to spend that cash if they’re operating with tight budget constraints.

If you are dealing with a young company that has not established itself very well yet, it can be tough getting them to open up their wallet. You might frame your argument for IAM in the following way.

You can tell them about the devastation that data breaches can cause for companies. You might mention how much money a data breach can cost. Sometimes, you will have a hacker that successfully penetrates a company’s computer network if they don’t have IAM in place. They might ransom that information back to the company, so they do not release it to a wider audience.

Releasing proprietary information can potentially cripple a company. Competing business entities will learn secrets about their products, services, and overall business model.

What Else Can You Tell a Client About IAM?

You might also tell a client who is on the fence about IAM that it’s best to have it in place these days because companies are allowing more employees to work from home than ever before. Some companies now allow exclusively remote work, while others use the hybrid work model. Workers spend some time at home, while other times they come to a central office location.

Employees often love working from home or the hybrid work model, but that can present some security complications. As an IT specialist, you can certainly recommend that your client set up a VPN for their company. However, having a robust IAM protocol will add another protection layer that’s difficult for a hacker or anyone unauthorized to penetrate.

Once your clients understand the basic IAM concept, they shouldn’t mind spending money on it. Maybe they will grumble about the upfront cost, but the security this system affords them should work very well. Not having it in place can cost them in many ways, and once you convince them of that, they should allow you to move forward with no further delays.