Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

Passwords are no longer the only weakness in digital identity. Passkeys and FIDO2 reduce reliance on reusable credentials, but attackers can still target account recovery, steal active sessions, or exploit permissions granted to automated systems. Therefore, the next phase of passwordless authentication must address these gaps without making everyday access unnecessarily complicated.

OAuth (Open Authorization) is an open-standard authorization framework that allows applications to access an end user's protected resources without requiring the user to share their password. Instead, users grant applications limited access to specific resources through authorization, while their credentials remain private. OAuth uses access tokens to control what an application can access on a user's behalf.

TOTP (Time-Based One-Time Password) is an authentication algorithm that generates a unique, temporary numeric code using the current time as a moving factor. Typically, these codes are six digits long and automatically change every 30 seconds, providing a one-time verification code for authentication. TOTP uses a shared secret between the authentication service and the user's authenticator device, combining that secret with the current time to generate each code.

Passkeys and security keys both support phishing-resistant authentication, but they differ in how credentials are stored, managed, and used. A passkey is a digital authentication credential, while a security key is a physical authenticator that can store credentials and prove a user's identity. For enterprises replacing passwords, the distinction affects credential portability, recovery, hardware requirements, and control over authentication.

Imagine asking an AI assistant to find a product, put together a shopping cart, or help you update your Shopify store. For the assistant to complete these tasks, it needs a way to interact with Shopify. Shopify MCP provides that connection.

A machine identity is the set of credentials a non-human entity, such as an application, device, workload, or service, uses to authenticate itself and communicate securely with other systems. Just as an employee proves who they are with a username and password, a machine proves who it is with cryptographic credentials like a digital certificate, an API key, or a service account token.

A field employee's laptop crashes, or a server in another office needs a patch, or a remote worker gets locked out of their workstation. For all these situations, the IT team needs to get in, fix it, and move on, without being there. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is Microsoft's answer to that problem. It's a network protocol that lets you connect to another computer over a network and control it as if you were sitting right in front of it.

Higher education institutions manage identity information across systems such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms, Student Information Systems (SIS), and HR systems. These records determine whether someone is a student, employee, faculty member, researcher, alumnus, or another type of campus user. Integrating these systems with Identity and Access Management (IAM) lets institutions use those records to manage digital identities and access throughout the user lifecycle.

Adaptive security is a cybersecurity approach that continuously monitors users, devices, networks, and security events to identify risks and adjust defenses in real time. Unlike static security models that rely on fixed rules and periodic updates, adaptive security responds to changes in behavior, context, and threat levels as they occur. It continuously evaluates security risks, detects unusual or suspicious activity, and adapts security controls based on the situation.

Access certification can take more time than the actual review. A manager may need to review access for 50 employees. Before that happens, someone has to gather the access data, identify the right reviewer, send the requests, and track the responses. If the reviewer revokes access, someone may also need to remove it from the application. Now repeat that across hundreds of users and several applications. The workload adds up quickly.

An access review can look complete on paper. The campaign closed, reviewers made their decisions, and the records were saved. Then an auditor asks: Who reviewed this access, what did they decide, and what happened afterward? That question can reveal problems that a completed review does not show. A rejected permission may still be active. An exception may have no clear reason. The team may also struggle to show when the review happened.

Enrolling devices is only one part of implementing Mobile Device Management (MDM). Before rollout, IT teams need to define ownership models, prepare the environment, configure policies, and verify that employees can access the apps and resources they need. This MDM implementation checklist breaks the process into seven phases, from initial planning to ongoing device management. Use it to organize responsibilities, identify dependencies, and confirm that each phase is ready before moving to the next.

Hybrid identity management is the practice of managing user identities and access across on-premises and cloud environments through a connected identity framework. Most organizations today operate across both. Active Directory may still manage identities for internal applications, while cloud platforms and SaaS applications handle other parts of the business. This creates a simple challenge: how do you give users consistent access when their applications and identities exist in different environments?

Jira is rarely used by just one type of user. Primarily, teams use Jira Cloud for project management. At the same time, support teams work inside Jira Service Management (JSM), while internal employees and external users such as customers, vendors, and partners may access the JSM portal. They are all accessing the same Atlassian ecosystem, but they do not necessarily log in the same way. This is where organizations can run into a problem.

An employee changes roles. Their manager requests access for the new job, and IT grants it quickly. That part works well. The issue appears when access from the previous role stays in place. The same thing happens when a contractor finishes a project, an admin completes urgent work, or a team retires an application. Access often remains because nobody has checked whether it still serves a purpose. Active Directory governance allows IT and security teams to answer three questions.

Application onboarding is the process of integrating an application with your identity governance and administration platform so its accounts, roles, and entitlements can be governed. Once an application is onboarded, you can: Without onboarding, an application stays outside your controls, and any access inside it is invisible to your security and audit teams.

Atlassian Guard protects your employees through SSO and MFA. It does not cover portal-only customer accounts. However, customers need to access your Jira Service Management (JSM) portal to raise tickets and do so securely. But they often use portal-only accounts, which, in most cases, are protected only by a password. You’ll have security gaps if they don’t authenticate the same way as your employees. You must understand what the limits of Atlassian Guard are.

A user signs in to an application and gets access to the dashboard. Later, the same user tries to change account settings or approve a high-value transaction. Suddenly, another verification step appears. Why? The risk has changed. Routine access and sensitive actions do not need the same level of protection. Step-up authentication lets organizations add stronger verification when users cross a higher-risk threshold, while keeping everyday access simple.

According to Gartner survey data, 56% of CISOs increased their IAM budgets in 2026 compared to 2025 to curb evolving threats, support AI adoption, and manage complex digital ecosystems. The question is: can IAM cost be optimized without reducing security quality? There are instances where organizations keep paying for overlapping tools, manual provisioning workflows, and help desk tickets that a properly automated platform would eliminate outright.