What Is Web Access Management?

Web access management is a type of security process designed to place limitations on who can gain access to certain pages associated with a web site. This approach normally involves the creation and management of procedures that track how users are assigned credentials as well as rights and responsibilities when making use of the data on the protected page or site. Companies often use web access management to provide employees with access to data and tools that are relevant to their assigned duties, while also preventing unauthorized access to other information and functions that are not required for carrying out those duties.

With web access management, an administrator or administrative team will work with information technology personnel to identify a process for the assigning of login credentials and how to tie specific rights and privileges to those credentials. For example, if a sales team that is scattered over a large geographical area must all have access to the same sales database, that database will reside on a server or a host that can be accessed using any computer connected with the Internet. Each salesperson will be given the web page address to log into the database, using login credentials assigned by the administrator. Those credentials will determine what information the salesperson can access and what type of actions he or she may engage in while using the database. If the salesperson’s circumstances change, either by way of a promotion or being terminated from the company, the administrator can remove the credentials or amend the privileges associated with those credentials, depending on which approach is in the best interests of computer security.

Along with being able to limit the activities of users, web access management also includes the ability to track who does what while logged into the network. The creation of log files on every user, based on the login credentials employed, make it easy to reconstruct activities. Those log files are typically archived for a period of time, making it much easier to go back through the detail if some question arises regarding how a given employee used his or her privileges on a particular date to perform certain functions.

In addition to monitoring and managing the activities of authorized users, web access management also makes note of failed attempts to access the network. Tracking this type of detail can often alert administrators to the need to increase computer security, especially if one or more of those attempts came close to breaching the network firewall and other security measures. Web access management at its best keeps a network protected while also making sure the authentication processes do allow authorized users to connect with the data needed, perform tasks relevant to their positions, all while effectively preventing unauthorized access that could lead to theft and leaks of proprietary information.