Digital identity not prioritized enough, IDaaS could drive digital transformation, Deloitte says

Businesses are struggling with increasing consumer demands for personalization and security challenges. As they do so in a landscape of emerging technologies where everything from cybersecurity and regulatory compliance to consumer trust revolves around identity management, companies are trying to define digital identity, according to a recent poll by Deloitte.

The organization says the survey results confirm the findings of the Rediscovering Your Identity report on emerging trends and challenges shaping digital identity management. The company addresses top challenges for transformation such as struggling to comply with global data privacy regulations which are overlapping such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Privacy Act (CCPA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework. More parties need to get involved in identity management technology, the company says, and cybersecurity, legal and business leaders need to come up with solutions together for user experience, system availability, resilience, risk management and consumer engagement.

Digital identity is not prioritized, as the poll shows cybersecurity teams are still operating with legacy environments and fighting opposition to migrate to cloud-first architectures. Accordingly, 35.4 percent of survey respondents said upgrading legacy systems is hard for organizations employing identity programs, while almost 18 percent named funding and sponsorship as roadblocks. Many companies have not deployed any API-based systems so investment can be expensive. According to The 2019 Future of Cyber Survey, 95 percent of C-level executives do not assign more than 20 percent of their budget for identity solutions.

The poll further found that companies don’t trust third parties with integration, flexibility and access to specialized support with outsourcing their identity management. A lack of talent and a skills deficit are considered a challenge for identity by 14.4 percent. In the near future, Identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) could become the fastest, most realistic digital transformation driver, Deloitte says.
Coordinating large projects is a challenge because there are many executives, teams, and IT systems sharing responsibility and ownership. According to the poll, 14.4 percent also named a lack of executive prioritization and alignment key challenges in digital transformation.

“An integrated digital identity program will provide organizations operational efficiencies and improve user experiences by powering digital transformation. In addition to the fact that regardless of what business you are in, we all need to know that what we share is protected, what we access is secure, and who we allow into our systems are supposed to be there,” said Mike Wyatt, principal, Deloitte & Touche LLP and cyber identity solutions leader. “An integrated approach can prevent a future digital identity crisis from surfacing by building consumer trust and ensuring both privacy and security.”

As the operating environment for digital identity will grow in complexity regarding technologies, data privacy regulations and people and devices to manage, Deloitte suggests eight qualities for digital identity programs. These should be safe (guarantee security, privacy and compliance), flexible (compatibility with multiple platforms, people, systems and devices), agile (adjust to end-user needs, new requirements and applications), scalable (comply with shifting requirements), open (suitable for different types of users), private (let users have control of their information, understand how it is used and how to access it), frictionless (seamless experience for users and administrator), and resilient (service disruptions, technology failures, or cyber threats in any environment).

“In a digital economy, identity is a point of trust, perimeter of security and an index of customer satisfaction,” said David Mapgaonkar, principal, Deloitte & Touche LLP, and cyber technology, media and telecom sector. “Organizations should think about challenges related to both consumer and enterprise identity management to understand what they can do to create better outcomes. But it’s not easy — it requires managing relationships with many stakeholders and alignment on technology and funding.”

Article Topics

biometrics  |  cybersecurity  |  Deloitte  |  digital identity  |  identity management  |  personalization