STRATEGIC INSIGHTS

IDoT is Transforming Identity and

Access Management (IAM) Solutions

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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. Quadrants 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 organizations 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 MultiFactor Authentication (MFA) or even classic authentication like user id/password may not

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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 dont 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
enterprises data by 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
doesnt look sustainable unless IoT vendors come up with custom solutions that can address
an enterprises 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

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

About Quadrant Knowledge Solutions

Quadrant Knowledge Solutions is a global advisory and consulting firm focused on helping
clients in achieving business transformation goals with Strategic Business, and Growth
advisory services.
Our Strategic Business, and Growth Advisory services are organized specifically to help
clients develop and validate strategies based on global mega trends, understand the
business potential and untapped opportunities, and strategies for growth.

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