Accenture, a global professional services company, published a report on the importance of Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) for business resilience. The report found that organizations that have implemented IGA are better prepared to withstand cyberattacks and other disruptions. The report also found that IGA can help organizations improve their compliance posture and reduce their risk of data breaches.
The report, titled “IGA: A Key Enabler of Business Resilience”, was based on a survey of more than 300 senior executives from various industries and regions. The report aimed to provide insights into the current state and challenges of IGA, which is the process of managing the governance, compliance, and administration of digital identities and access rights for users, applications, and data.
According to the report, IGA is becoming more critical and complex due to the growing number and diversity of digital identities, the evolving regulatory environment, and the heightened threat landscape. In the report, it was observed that organizations using IGA-leading practices, such as a dedicated IGA team, automated IGA platforms, and regular audits and reviews, experience better business outcomes.
The report found that 83% of organizations with leading IGA practices have high or very high levels of business resilience, compared to only 36% of those with lagging IGA practices. Business resilience is defined as the ability to adapt to changing conditions and recover from disruptions.
As a result of the report’s findings, 81% of organizations with leading IGA practices have high or very high levels of compliance posture, compared to only 38% of those with lagging IGA practices. The report also found that leading IGA organizations are more aware of their compliance requirements and risks, and have more effective processes and controls to ensure compliance.
According to the study, 79% of organizations with leading IGA practices have low or very low levels of data breach risk, compared to only 37% of those with lagging IGA practices. Data breach risk is defined as the likelihood and impact of unauthorized access to or disclosure of sensitive data. The study also revealed that leading IGA organizations have more visibility and control over their data assets and access rights, and have more robust policies and procedures to protect data.