Access control consists of confirming the identity of a person’s account or credentials before granting them the permissions they require to access certain resources. This is an essential aspect of security, whether the assets are physical or virtual.
To increase security, a lot of electronic access control systems incorporate photos for identification. The cards are scanned and presented to the reader, that then sends an request to unlock to the control panel. The panel analyzes the credential and determines if it is valid. The panel then allows or refuses entry to the door. The system also gives real-time traffic reports and other details for monitoring the flow of traffic through the facility.
The role-based access control system (RBAC) offers some flexibility. However, administrators can enhance this by implementing precise controls that take into account factors such as location, device type, and many others. These context-based controls are used within the IAM frameworks.
It is important to review and align the access control policies regularly with current roles and responsibilities. This prevents unnecessary risk and ensures that the principle of least privilege is followed. It is also essential to regularly audit access logs and detect suspicious activity.
Additional resilience can be achieved by creating strong password policies that require multi-factor from this source authentication, and offering education on safe remote work and password hygiene. Automating user provisioning and deprovisioning simplifies adding and removing access to users, which minimizes human error and prevents data security breaches. Regularly reviewing and re-establishing user profiles will help minimize the effect of new hires and staff turnover.
