Understanding Identity and Access Management Concepts

Question 1

Identity

Answer 1

Each person needs some form of identification so that they can prove who they are; this could be anything, ranging from a username to a smart card. It needs to be unique so that the person using that identity is accountable for its user.

Question 2

Authentication

Answer 2

The second part after proving your identity is to provide authentication for that identity. This can be done in many ways; for example, inserting a password or if you have a smart card, it would be a Person Identification Number (PIN).

Question 3

Authorization

Answer 3

Once the individual has been authenticated, they are given an access level based on their job role. This could also be known as their permission level to the system to which they have access.

Question 4

Accounting

Answer 4

Computer systems maintain a log of when users log in and log out, and accounting is the process of maintaining those log files. Example; Windows Desktop in Event Viewer or database on a AAA server.