From the end-user side, I can tell you from personal experience that it is not fun waiting up to 30 minutes for an account issue to be resolved because there is no process for me to resolve the issue on my own, as similar calls further jam the help desk phone lines. It can be a nightmare for the techs doing the work, and can often be frustrating for the employees who in many cases are sitting on the phone waiting for their accounts to be restored. Now imagine the headaches and hassle associated with having to track down different interfaces, utilities, URLs, etc., to change passwords across disparate systems.

It should not be too hard to imagine as it is a very common thing in today’s workplace. Imagine a system where users have multiple accounts spread across Active Directory, Oracle databases, and various other hodgepodge applications with custom authentication stores. In companies that lack a solid IDM solution, these issues can require a lot of manual interaction with various systems, especially in environments where there is not a central authentication store. It can be stressful, it can be time consuming, and it can seriously inhibit a company’s ability to conduct business if users cannot access their accounts, equipment, devices, etc… For those that support these users, the first of the year is oftentimes the busiest for these types of issues. All too often the return from the holidays heralds in a flood of calls and support tickets for users that have forgotten passwords, had passwords expire over the holiday break or accounts being locked for too many failed login attempts. For most this is an annual time of celebration and relaxation, but for others, like a help desk or IT person, it means the calm before the storm. It’s holiday season again and for many companies that means a reduced workforce with a lot of personnel taking lots of time off to spend with family and/or travel.

Idm by mirza