We had the pleasure to host two Virtual Roundtables for 12 CIO’s across Australia’s Public Sector. Our host LastPass and moderator Sam Higgins from Forrester kept the discussions going back and forth on the below.
Technologies such as two-factor authentication (2FA), single sign-on (SSO), and privileged identity management (PIM) all help to reduce reliance on static, easy-to-hack passwords for critical systems. But despite the known risks, passwords remain the most common method of authentication used by organisations to secure their environment. At the same time the ever-increasing number of applications that employees need for their jobs, coupled with the effort required to migrate to new authentication technologies, means IT teams must find effective and economical methods to mitigate password exposure. Although security awareness training provides clear benefits, education without ongoing supporting practices means good habits soon fade.
Organisations worldwide are now facing an abrupt and unexpected shift from office-bound to remote working. Therefore ensuring that all employees not only have the capability, but also the tools, to manage their personal and corporate authentication risks is more critical than ever.
The discussion explored questions such as:
- What authentication risk and compliance challenges are firms facing due to a remote distributed workforce?
- How can firms improve visibility into user behaviour and endpoint health?
- What role does password management play in a firm’s overall security posture?
- How can firms control the support costs associated with password-related issues?
- What measures can firms take that will reinforce existing security awareness training?
