Usage Monitoring
An organization’s data security does not end with granting users the correct access rights. It is equally important to ensure that they are used correctly.
See more than just logs
Usage monitoring continuously analyzes the activity of users, applications, and devices, and identifies anomalies that may indicate misuse, data breaches, insider threats, or incorrectly granted access rights. When usage logs are combined with identities, access rights, and the user’s job role, the organization gains a complete picture of who is using what, when, from where, and on what basis.
Usage monitoring is a key component of modern identity and access management, the Zero Trust model, and security management in compliance with NIS2, GDPR, ISO 27001, and KATAKRI requirements.
Usage monitoring complements access rights management
Identity and access management (IdM, IGA, IAM, PAM) defines what a user is allowed to do. Usage monitoring, in turn, ensures what a user actually does.
Monitoring combines, for example:
- user identity
- job and organizational role
- granted access rights
- authentication method
- workstation or mobile device used
- application used
- time and location
- actions performed
- usage history
- deviations from normal behavior.
When events are compared to the user’s normal activity pattern and access rights, it is possible to identify, for example
- anomalous logins
- unusual usage times
- abnormal data browsing
- misuse of access rights
- insider security threats
- compromised user accounts
- access rights that have become unnecessary.
In this way, access rights management transforms from static access control into continuously evolving security management.
Patient data usage monitoring
In healthcare, the correctness of access rights alone is not sufficient. The use of patient and client data must also be monitored continuously.
Patient data usage monitoring analyzes whether the viewing, processing, and disclosure of data correspond to the user’s job duties, patient relationship, and normal activity. Solutions automatically identify abnormal activity and escalate suspicious events for further investigation.
These may include, for example
- viewing one’s own patient data
- browsing data of relatives or acquaintances
- examining a large number of patients without justification
- abnormal use outside working hours
- anomalous usage volumes
- unusual use from different locations.
For example, Imprivata Patient Privacy Intelligence (PPI) leverages analytics and machine learning to automatically identify atypical patient data usage. This reduces manual monitoring and helps organizations meet data protection legislation requirements while improving patient privacy.
SIEM and centralized security monitoring
Individual usage logs tell only part of the story.
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) solutions aggregate log data from different systems, correlate events, and identify anomalies across the entire IT environment. When SIEM is integrated with identity and access management solutions, security events can also be examined from the perspective of user identity, access rights, and business role.
This enables the organization to
- detect attacks earlier
- investigate events faster
- automate alerts
- meet audit and reporting requirements
- support SOC and CERT operations
- strengthen the Zero Trust security model.
Usage monitoring provides continuous visibility into digital trust
Digital identity is the most important foundation of trust in modern organizations. Therefore, access rights management alone is no longer sufficient.
At CSIT, we help our customers build a comprehensive solution where identities, access rights, and their usage form a unified, continuously monitored security environment. We combine identity and access management, usage monitoring, analytics, and security monitoring solutions into a comprehensive solution that improves data security, facilitates compliance demonstration, and supports the organization’s digital trust.
Access rights management tells what a user is entitled to. Usage monitoring tells how rights are actually used.
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