Identity and Access Management (IAM) in cloud computing is a security practice that ensures only authorized individuals can access resources. It's a crucial part of any organization's security framework, especially in the cloud where resources can be accessed from anywhere.

• IAM systems can be used to initiate, capture, record, and manage user identities and their access permissions.
• All users are authenticated, authorized, and evaluated according to policies and roles.
• IAM solutions provide secure, identity-based access to various systems and applications, reducing the risk of internal and external data breaches.

IAM works by verifying the user's identity (authentication) and then providing the user with the rights to perform certain actions (authorization). It's a crucial part of any organization's security framework, especially in the cloud where resources can be accessed from anywhere.

• IAM systems manage the roles and access privileges of individual network users and the circumstances in which users are granted or denied those privileges.
• These systems are designed to provide a means of administering user access across an entire enterprise and to ensure compliance with corporate policies and government regulations.
• IAM technology can be used to initiate, capture, record, and manage user identities and their access permissions, ensuring that access privileges are granted according to policy.

Consider a global company, GlobalCorp, that uses a cloud-based CRM system. They implement an IAM solution to manage access to this system. When a new salesperson is hired, they are given a unique identifier and access rights to the CRM system based on their role.

• The IAM system ensures that the salesperson can only access the data and features they need to do their job.
• If the salesperson leaves the company, their access can be immediately revoked, ensuring that they can no longer access any company data.