When it comes to protecting data, universities have to navigate distinct challenges in managing the identities of their digital users. Universities have transient user populations that require all different kinds of user access — from students and staff to researchers — and the widespread sharing of data leaves universities vulnerable to data theft and cyber attack. SailPoint develops specific identity management solutions for optimal security for universities, and they are leading the field in innovative technology.
Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, SailPoint provides a cloud-based predictive identity governance platform specifically curated to your university’s needs. “You’re going to be able to be more autonomous,” said Cullen Landrum, a sales engineer at SailPoint, “while your users will have rights and entitlements added or removed based on the user population.”
Access authentication
Because of the transient nature of a university’s user population, one of the risks institutions face is giving a user too much digital access. “Most cybersecurity attacks have some element of a user’s identity having access to too much information,” Landrum said. “SailPoint limits that attack vector by managing the correct entitlements for each user.”
SailPoint not only governs all users and their access to sensitive applications and data, but they have also taken that to the next level with SailPoint Predictive Identity ™, which leverages machine learning and AI technologies to predict whether a user has the correct access (as one example). “It’s really the future of where we’re going with identity governance,” Landrum said. “A cloud infrastructure that’s going to put security first — that’s where SailPoint shines.”
SailPoint has already helped many universities. According to their success story, Norwich University implemented SailPoint’s IdentityNow to advance their identity management program. Norwich understood the importance of digital security, as their graduate program was entirely online. The IT Systems team at Norwich University began by implementing a password management solution, giving remote students a more efficient and safe introductory onboarding experience. Before using IdentityNow, Norwich University was manually managing incoming digital users, but now all of that password and access management is automated. University officials reported that integrating IdentityNow fixed 90 percent of their provisioning issues and saved two full days per month in administrative time creating accounts.
For universities looking to increase digital security, SailPoint’s identity management platform lowers the resource costs of identity management, as their machine learning and automation take those tasks out of the hands of digital administrators. The long-term financial benefits of an automated identity management system are evident, yet universities are not directing adequate resources for digital security. Almost 70 percent of universities are spending only 1-10 percent of their IT budget on cybersecurity, according to research from the Tambellini Group in 2018.
SailPoint has partnered with other complementary identity management providers, including Identity Works. “Within the past decade SailPoint has really taken on a leadership role in the field of identity governance,” said Patrick Dooley, president and founder of Identity Works. “They have a comprehensive solution to identity governance and administration tools as both an on-premises offering as well as the cloud-based side solution for the institutions that are opting for a cloud-first strategy.”
Tailored solutions
SailPoint offers a curated approach to each university’s needs. “Out of the box, SailPoint provides over a hundred connectors which can get them managing accounts in mainstream products, whether they’re on-premises or whether they’re cloud-based,” Dooley said. “In addition to that, SailPoint provides a plug-in interface, which we’ve found to be very flexible.”
Dooley is particularly excited about SailPoint Predictive Identity. “SailPoint’s most recent innovation in artificial intelligence and machine learning is extremely promising from our perspective,” he said. “This will change the future of how identity management is done.”
What sets SailPoint apart from all of their competitors, Dooley said, is that they are dedicated to their customer’s success. “When we first made a decision to partner with SailPoint years ago, that was the No. 1 driver,” Dooley said. “They’re innovating the marketplace and they’re really driving identity management vendors to follow in their footsteps.”