Shashwat Sehgal, co-founder and CEO of P0 Security, dives into the intricate world of cloud identity lifecycle management. He discusses why traditional solutions like SAML fail in modern cloud settings. Shashwat emphasizes the necessity for a holistic strategy encompassing IAM roles and visibility of cloud identities. The conversation highlights the complexities of managing human and non-human identities while advocating for a shift to cloud-native governance. He also touches on personal interests, including a fondness for Mediterranean cuisine.
Organizations must transition from traditional identity solutions to cloud-native governance to effectively manage both human and non-human identities.
A unified governance model is essential for adapting to the complexities of cloud environments and ensuring appropriate access control.
Deep dives
Understanding Cloud Identity Lifecycle Management
Cloud identity lifecycle management is essential for securing access to sensitive assets in a complex cloud environment. Organizations often face challenges in distinguishing between privileged and non-privileged access, particularly with the multitude of resources such as S3 buckets and EC2 instances. The complexity arises from the various types of identities, including human users, service accounts, and workloads, each requiring tailored management approaches. Effective lifecycle management involves understanding who can access cloud resources and ensuring that access aligns with their needs while minimizing risk.
The Blurred Lines of Identity Governance
The traditional distinctions of identity governance, namely Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) and Privileged Access Management (PAM), are becoming increasingly blurred in the cloud. Unlike the on-premise landscape that segment identities and resources distinctly, cloud environments require a more integrated approach to access control. As more resources become ephemeral, organizations must redefine what constitutes 'standing access' versus 'just-in-time access' for both human and non-human identities. This shift underscores the necessity for a unified governance model that can effectively adapt to the rapidly changing cloud landscape.
Challenges of Traditional Identity Solutions
Many legacy identity solutions struggle to adapt to the nuances of cloud environments, treating them merely as another connector rather than recognizing their unique complexities. This results in a failure to address the demands of access management comprehensively, especially for developers who interact with cloud infrastructure far more frequently. The inadequacy of solutions that focus only on application-centric access significantly hampers organizations' ability to achieve true identity lifecycle management. As identity management continues to evolve, it's crucial for organizations to move beyond traditional models to embrace more dynamic and adaptable governance frameworks.
Establishing Effective Governance Practices
To navigate the complexities of cloud identity management, organizations should implement a robust inventory process that identifies all users and entities accessing their resources. Following inventory, organizations must assess the risk posture of each identity, determining whether access levels are appropriate and securing relevant credentials. Finally, governance should establish clear protocols, such as defining standing access and instituting key rotation practices for non-human identities like service accounts. This progression will enhance security and ensure that access is well aligned with organizational policies and risk management strategies.
In this episode Ashish Rajan sits down with Shashwat Sehgal, co-founder and CEO of P0 Security, to talk about the complexities of cloud identity lifecycle management. Shashwat spoke to us about why traditional identity solutions like SAML are no longer sufficient in today’s cloud environments. He discusses the need for organisations to adopt a more holistic approach to secure access across cloud infrastructures, addressing everything from managing IAM roles to gaining complete visibility and inventory of all cloud identities.
This episode goes into the growing challenges around managing human and non-human identities, and the importance of shifting from legacy solutions to cloud-native governance.