What is the difference between authentication and authorization?

Authentication verifies identity (“who are you?”), while authorization determines permissions and allowed actions (“what are you allowed to do?”).

How is authorization used in practice?

Authorization is used to control access to systems, applications, data, and functions based on defined roles, rules, or policies.

Why is least privilege important?

Least privilege limits the impact of errors, misuse, or compromised accounts by ensuring identities only have the access they actually need.

How does authorization relate to Zero Trust?

In Zero Trust, access is granted explicitly and contextually, and authorization is evaluated continuously rather than being static or implicit.

What are common challenges with authorization?

Common challenges include overly broad roles, lack of access cleanup, temporary exceptions becoming permanent, and insufficient logging and review.

Sicra helps organizations design and implement authorization models that support least privilege, clear role separation, and strong control of privileged access, particularly in cloud and Zero Trust environments. Read more about "Access management – Identity and access management (IAM)" here > Read more about "Access management – Privileged access management (PAM)" here > Read more about "Zero Trust architecture" here > Read more about "Security strategy" here >

Authorization

What is authorization?

Authorization is the process that determines which actions a user, application, or service is allowed to perform after its identity has been verified through authentication.

While authentication answers the question “who are you?”, authorization answers “what are you allowed to do?”. This can include access to systems, applications, data, functions, or administrative actions.

Authorization is commonly implemented using roles, rules, and policies — such as role-based access control (RBAC), attribute-based access control (ABAC), or policy-based decisions in modern cloud and Zero Trust environments.

Metaphorically, authorization can be compared to access to rooms within a building: being allowed inside does not mean you can enter every room.

Sicra and authorization

Authorization is a core component of Sicra’s work with access management, Zero Trust Architecture, and identity security.

Sicra helps organizations design and implement authorization models that enforce least privilege, clear role separation, and regulatory compliance. This is delivered through services such as Identity and Access Management (IAM), Privileged Access Management (PAM), IGA, and security consulting.

Proper authorization is essential to reduce the risk of data leakage, privilege misuse, and unauthorized access across IT, cloud, and OT environments.

Authorization

What is authorization?

Sicra and authorization

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