Identity and access management jobs: Key benefits and best practices
There are plenty of reasons to consider starting a role in cyber security. A particularly rewarding career can be found in identity and access management (IAM). It’s a fast-growing field that offers various types of roles, appealing to cyber security professionals who enjoy tackling information threats.
Identity and access management
As digital security becomes increasingly critical, IAM professionals are in high demand to help secure organisational access control. With responsibilities including enforcing access policies and ensuring compliance, IAM jobs offer dynamic opportunities within the cyber security sector.
What is identity and access management?
IAM encompasses processes, technologies and policies that support the management of digital identities. IAM is a framework that safeguards systems by controlling user access to organisational resources, ensuring only authorised personnel can access sensitive information.
Key IAM functions include:
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Role-based access control (RBAC)
- Regulatory compliance
- User authentication
- User identity management
- Username and password protection
The implementation of IAM means businesses can automate tasks to track user privileges, as organisations face growing pressure to safeguard their resources. You might think it sounds like something for huge corporations with infinite budgets, but actually, the tech works for companies of all sizes.
What does an IAM manager do?
As an IAM manager, you’ll primarily be responsible for implementing and updating the IAM programme, keeping up with the latest trends in tech and being aware of best practices and any possible threats to your organisation.
The bulk of your time will likely be spent making sure authentication and authorisation is carried out, so users have the correct access to business systems, data and applications. Other typical duties include:
- Administering user accounts and managing permissions
- Checking activity logs to find potential security incidents
- Developing and delivering training resources
- Monitoring user compliance with internal and external regulations
An IAM manager develops and enforces access policies, oversees multi-factor authentication processes and monitors access controls to protect organisational data. This ensures secure and compliant user access to improve the data security of sensitive information.
What are some of the top IAM job vacancies?
Generally, professionals will either work as a practitioner or senior practitioner. The former will often be found within a team, supporting other members of the group and the wider organisation with all aspects of IAM. They’re hands-on with it, ensuring the application goes smoothly and are usually aiming to become experts in the field.
With more experience behind them, senior practitioners are often team leaders, responsible for managing and training their employees. Often, they act as a funnel, consulting and escalating any IAM issues for both the business and its clients.
Making it to the top of the IAM niche will see you become a high-level executive within your organisation, such as a chief data protection officer or a chief technical officer. These jobs will give you a large amount of responsibility for secure access procedures.
Popular roles in IAM include:
- Access control specialist
- IAM engineer
- IAM analyst
Each of these jobs focuses on unique aspects of managing secure and compliant access to digital assets. Select the job title that most closely reflects the area of identity and access you’re interested in and check the job description lines up with your experience in the industry.
Which qualifications and skills are relevant to roles in this specialism?
Working in the cyber security sector requires a lot of specialist knowledge, which can be acquired in several different ways.
Most companies looking for IAM experts are focusing on general IT skills and qualifications. It’s not essential to have a degree, but it will only help your case to hold at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field.
The following cyber security skills will be useful for pursuing a career in IAM, providing a solid basis for any company to train you on the specifics of your day-to-day role:
- In-depth understanding of networking and system administration
- Network security control measures
- Cloud security
- Coding
- Knowledge of virtual machines and operating systems
Beyond those, here are some of the key hard skills you’ll want to familiarise yourself with to stand out for an IAM role:
- Solid understanding of user provisioning, account creation and management
- Application of industry-standard protocols, such as Kerberos, OAuth and FIDO
- Full understanding of access control measures
- Application of identity and authentication solutions like Okta, Auth0 and Azure AD
- Knowledge of privileged access management
- Ability to compile reports
- Some knowledge of scriptwriting
- Comprehensive knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks
- Ability to use a system for cross-domain identity management (SCIM)
- Proficiency in security assertion markup language (SAML)
Is identity and access management part of cyber security?
IAM is one of the most essential components of cyber security provision that any organisation will need, but it wasn’t always considered to be a separate area. Until recently, most IT professionals had to know their way around IAM as the responsibilities would fall within their remit, rather than experts specific to that sector of cyber security.
Now, IAM is in high demand. With a global increase in mobile devices and additional access points for employees, especially those working from home, there are plenty of opportunities for corporate data to fall through the cracks.
It plays a crucial part in cyber security, protecting digital identities and minimising unauthorised access, which is essential for safeguarding organisational assets and complying with data security regulations. Without it, sensitive data would be at greater risk.
The job market still lacks highly skilled IAM professionals, but that’s good news for anyone looking to get into this cyber security role. Ensuring an organisation is secure and compliant is something no business can afford to overlook in the modern age.
Identity and access management jobs in the UK
With the rise of data protection laws like GDPR, demand for IAM roles in the UK has surged, offering opportunities in industries that prioritise data security and regulatory compliance. Identity management is no longer a nice-to-have discipline within an organisation, but something that businesses need to avoid being exploited or hacked.
If you're looking for IAM jobs in the UK, there are a few things you should be aware of before making an application. This includes an understanding of the personal qualities you’ll have to bring to the table, how much you'll be likely to earn and where to look for these jobs in the first place.
What personal attributes might you need?
While cyber security is an industry that demands a specialist skill set, don’t overlook the importance of your own attributes, or soft skills. Here are some of the qualities you’ll need to thrive in a career within the sector:
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work independently and within a team
- An eye for detail, with a pragmatic approach
- Great organisation and a motivated outlook
- Analytical mind and comfortable working with datasets
As you progress in your IAM career, some additional proficiencies you should pick up through experience are managing external agencies, providing expert consulting and a firm grasp of all relevant regulations.
IAM roles require attention to detail, problem-solving abilities and a high level of ethical responsibility to handle sensitive data and ensure compliance with security standards. As you manage access across multiple platforms, it’s essential to be organised and able to multitask.
What might you earn in this specialism?
IAM roles offer competitive salaries, with entry-level positions starting at £30,000 and experienced IAM managers earning up to £120,000 a year. There’s also the opportunity to receive additional pay in the form of bonuses and profit sharing, especially if you have a good track record of success.
Where can you find IAM jobs in the United Kingdom?
To find your next IAM role, the best place to start is on a specialised jobs board like Cybersecurity Jobsite. You can upload your CV to the site and simply let employers find you through your relevant skills and experience, or directly contact recruiters in the field.
You can also make yourself active on LinkedIn and sign up to attend a cyber security jobs fair near you. These events take place several times a year throughout the UK and provide a fantastic opportunity to network with some of the biggest employers in the country.