This post will discuss what the access control mechanism means and the four common parts. Check out this topic for more information.
What Is Access Control Mechanism?
Think about this for a moment:
What is the most basic thing you do in your job?
I’m guessing you would say something like this: We make sure only authorized people can access the data, network, and applications.
You know that unauthorized access to your company’s assets will cause serious problems. So you and your team spend most of your effort on controlling who has access to what. To do this, you use an access control mechanism.
What Are the Four Parts of Access Control Mechanism?
The four common parts are the following:
Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying or confirming who a user or process really is. This is the first line of defense against attacks and threats to your network.
Authorization
Authorization is the process of determining whether a user should be allowed to access a resource. Also, this is based on the user’s identity and their membership in an appropriate group.
Identity Management
Identity management is the process of managing users, groups, service accounts, and devices on your networks. It also allows you to work closely with authentication and authorization systems to control what users can access your network.
Authorization Management
Authorization management is the process of managing permissions for resources, such as data entities or applications used by users in an organization. This ensures that proper rights are given to resources according to business requirements.
Use-Cases of Access Control Mechanism
Before we go into details about what an access control mechanism means, let’s take a look at some real-world examples of access control mechanisms:
When you use a credit card, you will notice there are three things on it: name, credit card number, and expiration date. These three pieces of information are
- authentication (to authenticate if it’s really yours)
- authorization (to decide if you have enough money)
- identity management (to track who used it).
When you drive into the parking lot at work (or anywhere else), you will see cameras watching everything all over the place. These cameras are used for authorization (“Make sure only authorized people can drive in here.”)
When you log into your Gmail account, Google will send an email to confirm this is really from you. Google uses this method for both authentication (“You’re saying this is really from you”) and identification (“This is how we know it’s really yours”).
And when you go through security at an airport, they will check who you are using an ID card or passport (authentication), then they will check what you are carrying (authorization), and finally, they will make sure you’re not a terrorist (identity management).
Final Thoughts
We use access control mechanisms every day to protect ourselves and our assets. If you feel like you understand what the access control mechanism means, try to apply it to the examples above and think about how you and your team can use it effectively.
Feel free to post your thoughts or questions below.