Jack Poller

Jack Poller

Jack Poller is an analyst covering cybersecurity at Enterprise Strategy Group drawing upon more than 25 years of industry experience across a broad range of storage, networking, and cloud-based products and markets.

Recent Posts by Jack Poller:

Research Brief: The Need to Operationalize Strong Authentication

Abstract:

Challenged by ransomware and other password-related breaches and attacks, organizations are taking action to strengthen their authentication processes by deploying multifactor authentication (MFA). Like passwords, MFA is susceptible to attack, and doesn’t completely address the authentication problem. Passwordless authentication methods can protect against phishing and other attacks. To increase security and gain additional benefits, such as a better user experience and improved efficiency of IT and security teams, organizations need to operationalize strong authentication, making MFA or passwordless authentication mandatory.

Topics: Cybersecurity

Research Brief: The Complexity of Identity Security

Abstract:

Managing and securing the identities of an organization to increase security can be a challenge, and it is getting more challenging with the increased need for anywhere, anytime access to both cloud and in-house resources. Organizations are leveraging third parties and commercial solutions, including privileged access management (PAM) and identity governance and administration (IGA) to secure identities in their IT environment.

Topics: Cybersecurity

Research Brief: Identity Proofing, Screening, and Monitoring Reduce Risk

Abstract:

As business activity shifts online, with a hybrid workforce, many activities are conducted over the network rather than in person, exposing an organization to fraud and attacks by nefarious individuals or groups or through identity theft. Organizations are increasingly protecting themselves from the uncertainty of working entirely online by using services to help screen their employees, contractors, and customers to prove they are who they say they are.

Topics: Cybersecurity

Research Brief: The Benefits of Commercial CIAM Solutions

Abstract:

Building an in-house system to manage customer and third-party usernames and passwords may seem straightforward, but in practice may be an unexpectedly difficult task fraught with security risks. As a result, organizations are increasingly turning to customer identity and access management (CIAM) solutions to help increase performance and scalability with less effort and expense. While enterprises are turning to commercial CIAM solutions, IT and cybersecurity leaders are facing issues as they evaluate their CIAM options.

Topics: Cybersecurity

ESG Infographic: Securing the Identity Perimeter with Defense in Depth

Abstract:

Organizations continue to rely on user and machine identities that are susceptible to compromise, misuse, and theft. Modern, cloud-managed identity services are available, but organizations have been slow to pivot their security programs to an approach that focuses on identity orchestration and experiences. ESG surveyed IT and cybersecurity professionals responsible for identity and access management programs and solutions to gain insights into these trends.

Topics: Data Protection Identity and Access Management

ESG Research Report: Securing the Identity Perimeter with Defense in Depth

Abstract:

The core tenet of a zero trust strategy is least-privilege access. Yet, organizations continue to rely on user and machine identities that are susceptible to compromise, abuse/misuse, and theft. Risk is compounded by over-permissive, static access rights that provide little to no visibility into who and what is using access and how. Vaguer is how identities are being/should be monitored and protected. Availability of modern, cloud-managed identity services is widespread. Yet organizations have been slow to pivot their security programs from traditional endpoint, network, and SecOps to an approach that focuses on identity orchestration and experiences, which is dynamic and distributed. Where there are no perimeters, a multitude of identity verification services and managed identity services exist.

In order to gain insights into these trends, ESG surveyed 488 IT and cybersecurity professionals personally responsible for identity and access management programs, projects, processes, solutions/platforms, and services at large midmarket (500 to 999 employees) and enterprise (1,000 or more employees) organizations in North America (US and Canada).

Topics: Cybersecurity Identity and Access Management