Identity and Access Management (IAM) best practices center on a "never trust, always verify" approach to securely manage digital identities and control access to resources. A strong IAM strategy is fundamental for securing modern digital businesses, especially with the prevalence of remote work and cloud services. 

Foundational practices

• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): Do not rely on passwords alone. MFA requires users to provide two or more verification factors, such as a password and a code from an authenticator app. For critical systems, implement phishing-resistant MFA, such as using FIDO2 hardware keys.
• Enforce the principle of least privilege (PoLP): Grant users and applications the minimum level of access and permissions necessary to perform their specific job functions—and nothing more. This minimizes the potential damage if an account is compromised.
• Centralize IAM: Manage all user accounts, access policies, and security controls from a single, centralized platform. This improves visibility, ensures consistent policy enforcement, and simplifies administration, especially in multi-cloud or hybrid environments.
• Use single sign-on (SSO): Enable users to log in once with a single set of credentials to access multiple applications. SSO improves the user experience while centralizing authentication controls and reducing password fatigue.
• Automate lifecycle management: Implement automated workflows for provisioning (onboarding), de-provisioning (offboarding), and updating access permissions. This eliminates manual errors, improves efficiency, and reduces the risk of orphaned accounts after an employee or contractor leaves.
• Adopt passwordless authentication: Move beyond traditional passwords by using more secure authentication methods, such as biometrics, cryptographic keys, or mobile device verification. This eliminates the risk of compromised passwords through phishing or other attacks. 

Advanced and proactive measures

• Embrace a Zero Trust architecture: The Zero Trust security model assumes no user or device can be trusted by default, regardless of whether they are inside or outside the network. It requires continuous verification of every access attempt.
• Implement Just-in-Time (JIT) access: For highly sensitive or privileged accounts, grant elevated permissions only when needed and for a limited, predefined time window. This minimizes the exposure of privileged credentials and reduces the risk of lateral movement.
• Choose the right access control model:
  • Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is effective for organizations with stable, clearly defined roles. Permissions are assigned to roles, and users are assigned those roles.
  • Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) offers more granular and dynamic access by using user, resource, and environmental attributes. A hybrid approach, combining the simplicity of RBAC with the flexibility of ABAC, often provides the best balance.
• Secure non-human identities (NHIs): Manage access for automated services, applications, and IoT devices just as you would for human users. NHIs should use short-lived, dynamically generated credentials instead of long-term secrets.
• Monitor and audit continuously: Use a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solution to centralize logs from all access points and continuously monitor for anomalous behavior. Conduct regular audits to review user permissions and ensure least privilege is maintained.