By Compiled by Karen J. Bannan

Identity-related processes and technologies have become complex. An Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution can help CIOs centralize and automate processes to increase IT cost efficiency, manage IT security risk, improve compliance and enable new business opportunities. To learn how many CIOs are doing that today, Smart Enterprise asked them, "What are the driving factors to implement an IAM solution? Has your IAM deployment helped to increase overall business effectiveness?" Here are their answers.

SANJAY KOTHARY | VP AND CIO
ITT Corp.

We have integrated authentication and access controls into our application development lifecycles, both as standards and technical solutions. By centralizing the processes and technology we use, we have created value for the business. For example, we now can integrate third parties, such as suppliers and vendors, into our environment securely with minimal management overhead. This lets the business offload transactional activities, such as order status and parts availability, to a third party.

Looking ahead, we are evaluating employee self-service and supplier self-provisioning as opportunities to reduce the load on our service centers. We are looking at ways to streamline the provisioning process when people join or leave the company. This way, rights will be granted and removed quickly. This will add value to the business while strengthening our security. With a solid base built around policies and standards, and with the proper IAM solutions integrated with our existing infrastructure, we feel these goals are attainable.

ITT requires IAM to provide efficient security across the organization and our several lines of global business. With more than 400 facilities and 40,000 employees worldwide, we have a driving need to efficiently and effectively control access to our thousands of information systems and millions of pieces of information, all of which are critical to the business.

ITT has spent a lot of time and resources consolidating much of the information we use, and we have built a strong network infrastructure to support access to this information. We have also worked hard to implement standards and policies that help us govern the control of our data. In fact, we need to balance the technical controls we use to meet our business requirements on the one hand, with the level of security needed to meet regulatory requirements and protect the business on the other. This balancing act is one of the bigger challenges we now face.

ITT, with $9 billion in 2007 sales, is one of the largest engineering and manufacturing companies worldwide. The company is headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., and serves customers in more than 50 countries.