IDoT is Transforming Identity and Access Management (IAM) Solutions

Advent of internet of things (IoT) technologies driven by initiatives such as Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing are leading to significant transformation in the way people, process, and technologies are converging and driving improvements. Widespread adoption of IoT technologies are leading to the fourth industrial revolution for a better and smarter world. However, the increasing adoption of smart technologies also means increasing concern for security. According to Quadrant Knowledge Solutions research, securing the internet of things technologies is expecting to be amongst the largest trend in the next four to five years. Quadrant’s  Security  Technologies  research covers the detailed market analysis  for various security technologies and detailed technology trends.

Driven by increased adoption of internet of things technologies, the scope of Identity and Access Management (IAM) technologies are no longer just confined to people any-more. With the advent of smart devices and their ability to perform as separate entities, Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a popular trend transforming the IAM technologies. IAM solutions in its current form cannot handle the complexity of the internet of things.

Identities in IoT are Different than that of Traditional IAM

In IoT, devices act as identifiers and have a unique attribute in a particular domain. This should not be confused with the address as there is a fundamental difference between an identifier and an address of a device. For instance, while connecting to the internet, a device may use an IP (Internet Protocol) address, which can change – if used on a different network. Hence, addresses are more of communication endpoints. Similarly, a sensor has a unique attribute, and can interact with humans or other devices directly.

In  the  absence  of  a  specific  identity,  the  devices  may  connect  with  other  entities inadvertently  and can put an organization’s  data security at risk.  Things  in IoT  are named depending on their types like physical or logical and things themselves.

It is difficult to implement application development in IoT as devices tend to have different protocols. Like a sensor of a touch screen has a different protocol than that of a video monitor.

Traditional  IAM  systems are  focused  on  people,  and  therefore,  have  been  unable  to incorporate devices and other identities. IoT requires a completely different classification for Identities. It includes people, devices, and applications – the entities – which will have same requirements to interact with each other.

Authentication: A Key Hurdle in IAM for Internet of Things (IoT) Implementation

Authentication is another big challenge in implementing IoT. Usual IAM measures like Multi- Factor Authentication (MFA) or even classic authentication like user id/password may not directly work with it. There are various protocols like MQTT (MQ Telemetry Transport),CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol), XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) etc., which are used by providers to let entities authenticate themselves. In spite of these standard authentication options, vendors are finding it difficult to implement them across all the entities.

 According to Quadrant Knowledge Solutions latest market outlook research ―Identity  and Access Management (IAM) Market Outlook –Market Forecast, Trends, and Analysis Through 2020‖, growing adoption of IoT based smart devices are expected to transform the future of IAM solutions. Traditional people-centric IAM system is transforming to include identities of different entities including people, services and things within a single IAM framework. Since IoT comprises of more than one type of entity, defining relationships among the entities is critical: between a device and a human, a device to an application etc. Identity of Things (IDoT), which has evolved as  an  extension of  IAM,  defines these relationships. IDoT involves assigning unique identifiers to the IoT devices (things) with an ability to connect and communicate with other entities (other devices, human, applications and services) over the internet. IoT is seen as a critical pillar of identity management as the existing data and planning policies of IAM vendors don’t consider dynamic relationships between entities.

IAM systems are Evolving to Handle Identity of Things (IDoT)

IAM systems were initially not meant to manage devices so IDoT is required to work in the existing IAM framework and help develop a unified IoT management tool. IDoT —  a one point extension of all things in IAM — will take up many functionalities of systems that have managed IT and software assets within IAM.

Enterprises and IAM vendors are now moving towards solutions which either have provision for managing identities or which integrate IAM as a byproduct of connecting IoT assets together.  Due  to  the  key  role  that  IAM  has  played  over  the  decades  to  safeguard enterprise’s databy  managing identities, it is expected to play a key role in years to come. But, the evolution of unified IAM solutions that caters to IoT will determine if it IoT would continue to remain an extension or whether there would be a migration towards new solutions.

At this juncture, enterprises are using an existing framework and are adding access control requirements as an extension their existing access policies. However, this may change as it doesn’t look  sustainable unless IoT  vendors come up with custom solutions that can address anenterprise’s specific needs.

For more information, please visit

•   Identity and Access Management Market Research or
•  Press Release: Identity and Access Management (IAM) market is driven by BYOD, Mobility, and Internet of Things or
•  Please write to info@Quadrant-Solutions.com

Keywords: Identity and Access Management, IAM, Internet of things, IoT, Identity of Things, IDoT, Identity Management, Access Management, Market Research

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