In today’s business environment where workforces are mobile and the most important data is stored in the cloud, security is paramount. This is especially true for startups because they change quickly, are often working with fewer resources and less specialized personnel than their more established counterparts, and are operating with a relatively small budget. 

Despite these challenges, however, startups’ newness can also play to their advantage: they’re generally less entrenched in legacy equipment and processes than large, established companies. This gives startups a fairly blank slate to build an IT infrastructure that’s optimal rather than convenient, and their size and modernity give them the nimbleness they need to pivot quickly and execute on initiatives effectively.

One critical part of building the optimal IT infrastructure is developing a comprehensive and strategic security plan. This checklist is not all-encompassing; individual processes, equipment, goals, and other factors will influence each company’s security needs. However, it does provide a solid foundation for building an effective startup security plan. 

Control User Access to IT Resources

One of the most critical parts of any security strategy is to control user access to all the IT resources within your infrastructure. This includes devices and equipment, applications, files (in cloud storage or a NAS), network(s), data and databases, reporting and analytics, and more.

Securing Users

The most effective way to control user access to the resources they need is with a robust IAM program. The ideal IAM program for a startup includes:

• User data stored in a central directory that extends to all cloud and on-prem resources.
• Secure user authentication and authorization that supports multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Automated provisioning and de-provisioning of resources based on user groups and policies.
• Customizable security policies that can be implemented remotely.
• Policy-driven user groups.
• Single sign on (SSO) and user provisioning/deprovisioning to IT resources via SAML, SCIM, LDAP, and other secure protocols.
• Audit logging, insights and reporting.

Your IAM solution should be able to manage…