CIAM for energy providers
Energy suppliers are part of the critical infrastructure (CRITIS) and must meet special requirements, including regulatory requirements. Modern customer identity & access management (CIAM) with, among other things, Single Sign-On, is an essential building block.
Energy providers that already trust in cidaas
Customer Identity & Access Management a Core Building Block in the Energy Sector
Energy suppliers are part of the critical infrastructure and are therefore subject to special legal regulations. At the same time, the energy sector is increasingly characterized by digital technologies such as smart grids, IoT devices and cloud services, where customers also demand digitization and a good customer experience. Customer Identity & Access Management is thus becoming the core building block of the energy sector and not only ensures a secure and seamless customer experience but is also the enabler of digital business models with a comprehensive feature set.
The Future of the Energy Sector – Single Sign On & Identity Management for Private Households
Smart grid, e-mobility, smart home, smart and connected devices. These disruptive developments are changing the energy sector and calling for a transformation from a pure energy supplier to an energy service provider. Increasing digitization has led to the addition of new, hybrid services that complement the energy service provider’s classic offering, whether e-scooters, smart metering or e-fueling stations.
Identity as an enabler of digital business models
Customer Identity & Access Management (CIAM) acts as a key enabler of digital business models for utilities. In an industry increasingly dominated by digital technologies such as smart grids, IoT devices and cloud services, CIAM ensures that access to these technologies is secure and efficient. It enables organizations to develop personalized services and offerings by securely capturing and analyzing users and associated data. At the same time, a robust CIAM system builds trust with customers and partners by ensuring data security and privacy. In particular, innovative features such as group management for delegated user administration, digital identity verification for fast and secure onboarding, or Real World Identification for identifying and authenticating users and devices in the real world, are key drivers of digital platforms. By creating a secure and efficient digital environment, utilities can develop and implement innovative business models that not only increase revenue but also improve customer service.
IT security in the critical infrastructure (KRITIS)
Customer Identity and access Management (CIAM) plays an important role in the IT security of CRITIS (Critical Infrastructures) such as energy suppliers. Energy suppliers are essential for the functioning of modern societies and are therefore attractive targets for cyber attacks. An efficient CIAM ensures end-to-end access management that verifies both identity and authorization. The incorporation of multi-factor authentication (MFA), in particular, significantly increases security by providing an additional layer of verification. In addition, fraud detection can help identify unusual or suspicious access attempts in real-time and initiate appropriate countermeasures, e.g., adaptive multi-factor authentication (smart MFA) can be interposed. In this context, CIAM not only enables more robust IT security but also better regulatory compliance, which is crucial for CRITIS companies.
The particular importance of the GDPR and data protection
The GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and general data protection guidelines are of particular importance for operators of critical infrastructures, such as energy suppliers. These companies process large amounts of sensitive data that is often also personal – such as customer information, consumption data or technical specifications. A breach of data protection regulations can not only result in substantial fines, but also have a significant impact on public and customer confidence. Therefore, strict compliance with DSGVO and other data protection regulations is not only a legal and security necessity, but also a matter of transparency towards customers. For Identity & Access Management, this means that DSGVO-compliant data storage and processing, as well as functions such as consent management, DSGVO-compliant deletion, or the right to information must be part of the platform.
The customer as a group – more than the sum of identities
In the context of energy supply, customers are often not individuals, but a company or a household, i.e. a group of people. For this reason, sophisticated group management with which the most diverse users can be grouped and managed in Customer Identity & Access Management is elementary.
Not only is the grouping important from the point of view of the energy supplier, but it also enables delegation of user administration and self-administration by the customers. Customers thus have the possibility to control permissions in a fine-grained way, e.g. which user is allowed to see the consumption data or access property management.
The customer as a group is therefore more than the sum of (user) identities, and group management is an important feature of customer identity & access management.
cidaas – Cloud Identity & Access Management (Cloud IAM)
- Focus on user-friendly management of digital identities in any form
- Unique, secure user experience with modern 2-factor authentication
- GDPR-compliant, individualizable consent management