What is Identity Management Day?

The mission of Identity Management Day is to educate business leaders, IT decision makers and consumers on the importance of identity management and key components including governance, identity-centric security best practices, processes, and technology, with a special focus on the dangers of not properly securing identities and access credentials. In addition, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) will provide guidance for consumers, to ensure that their online identities are protected through security awareness, best practices and readily available technologies. Research by the IDSA reveals that 79% of organizations have experienced an identity-related security breach in the last two years, and 99% believe their identity-related breaches were preventable. According to the 2020 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, as many as 81% of hacking-related breaches leverage weak, stolen, or otherwise compromised passwords.

“Raising awareness around identity management is especially critical after a barrage of identity-based breaches made headlines in the past year, including Twitter, Marriott, and Nintendo,” said Julie Smith, Executive Director of the IDSA. “Additionally, the ongoing pandemic has accelerated digital transformation initiatives that support changes in how we work and how we live day-to-day, putting organizations at greater risk. Our hope is that an industry-led Identity Management Day will result in higher prioritization of identity security, and as a result, fewer data breaches in 2021 and beyond.”

“It’s a foregone conclusion that threat actors are exploiting abnormal times to intensify cyberattacks against businesses and consumers alike,” said Kelvin Coleman, Executive Director of NCSA. “As we’ve seen with initiatives like Data Privacy Day and Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an impactful, wide reaching campaign to highlight the need for increased awareness, education and vigilance about cybersecurity hygiene is integral to creating effective deterrent behaviors and minimizing security risks for organizations and the public at large.”

“The reality is that cyberattackers no longer ‘hack’ in at all – they simply log in, taking advantage of people who do not take even some of the most basic steps to properly secure their identities,” said Brad Shewmake, Director of Communications, Centrify, and Chairman of Identity Management Day. “Identity Management Day will be critical in educating users across all industries, regions, and roles about the consequences of weak or default credentials falling into the wrong hands.”

Get Involved

The IDSA and NCSA are calling on enterprises, government agencies, technology vendors, and individuals to participate and contribute leading up to and on April 13.

Ways to participate include:

• Registering to become an Identity Management Champion

• Entering the inaugural ‘Identity Management Awards’ to tell the world how you’re outsmarting digital adversaries and securing identities

• Sharing thoughts on social media using #IDMgmtDay and #BeIdentitySmart

• Posting blogs on identity security and sending links to idmgmtday@idsalliance.org for further amplification on social media and potentially the IDSA/NCSA websites

Stay tuned for more information on Identity Management Day events happening on April 13.

To learn more about and get involved in Identity Management Day 2021, please visit www.identitymanagementday.org.

About the Identity Defined Security Alliance

The IDSA is a group of identity and security vendors, solution providers, and practitioners that acts as an independent source of thought leadership, expertise, and practical guidance on identity centric approaches to security for technology professionals. The IDSA is a nonprofit that facilitates community collaboration to help organizations reduce risk by providing education, best practices, and resources.

About the NCSA

NCSA is the Nation’s leading nonprofit, public-private partnership promoting cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness. NCSA works with a broad array of stakeholders in government, industry and civil society. NCSA’s primary partners are the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and NCSA’s Board of Directors, which includes representatives from ADP; AIG; American Express; Bank of America; Cofense; Eli Lilly and Company; ESET North America; Facebook; KnowBe4; La-Z-Boy; Lenovo; Marriott International; Mastercard; MediaPro; Microsoft Corporation; Mimecast; NortonLifeLock; Paubox; Proofpoint; Raytheon; Terranova Security; U.S. Bank; Visa and Wells Fargo. NCSA’s core efforts include Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October); Data Privacy Day (Jan. 28); and STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™, the global online safety awareness and education campaign co-founded by NCSA and the Anti-Phishing Working Group with federal government leadership from the Department of Homeland Security; and CyberSecure My Business™, which offers webinars, web resources and workshops to help businesses be resistant to and resilient from cyberattacks. For more information on NCSA, please visit https://stagestaysafe.wpengine.com.

Industry Contacts

• Identity Defined Security Alliance, Julie Smith

• Identity Day Management Chairman, Brad Shewmake