What Is Access Control & How Crucial Is It to Cybersecurity?

Digital security professionals face tough choices every day. On the one hand, you must protect your company's vital resources. On the other, you must give people access to the tools they need to do their work. 

Strong access control policies allow you to do both. 

Access control involves verifying credentials, managing access, and monitoring your system regularly. In many industries, you must handle access control to comply with state, local, and federal laws. 

But even if you're not in a highly regulated market, it's smart to worry about access control. Reporters say some hackers have developed sophisticated tools to take over computers and encourage these zombies to search for valuable data.

Access mining like this can be devastating to a company, no matter the size. Access control could stop it. 

How Access Control Works 

Large companies can face a staggering number of hacking attempts every day. Utah state computer systems, for example, endure as many as 300 million hacking trials each and every day. Managing each issue without help is impossible. A robust system could help. 

Your access control system is made up of software, humans to manage it, and rules to dictate its use. Common steps within the system include:

  • Authentication. A user wants to access your system. Is that person legitimate, or are you dealing with an imposter? User names, passwords, biometric data, and one-time verification codes could all help you confirm identities.
     
  • Authorisation. What should that person be allowed to do? Authorisation involves the rules you set regarding access.
     
  • Access. With identities verified and rules set, a person can see, write, save, share, or otherwise work with an asset. Conversely, if the person does not pass your authentication or authorisation checks, the system denies entry.
     
  • Management. Teams must monitor their rules and the company's use of data. New employees, departing teammates, or organisation restructures could all put security at risk.
     
  • Audit. As much as you might