CIS Control 5 Implementation: How Avatier Enhances Identity Security

The control is all about account management. It says an organization should:

1. Keep an inventory of every identity (employees, contractors, service accounts).
2. Make sure authentication is solid (MFA, good passwords).
3. Keep access tightly matched to job duties (least‑privilege).

If any of those parts slip, the odds of a breach jump up. The 2023 Verizon breach report said three‑quarters of attacks involved stolen credentials. That number alone makes you wonder if you’re really protecting the right doors.

1. Building an Identity Inventory – The “Who’s Who” List

Imagine a midsize retail chain I know. They used separate HR software, a legacy Active Directory, and a cloud app for marketing. They thought they knew every user because each system had a list. In reality they discovered about 200 orphaned accounts when they finally compared notes. Those accounts could still log into the network, even though nobody was using them.

Avatier’s “Identity Anywhere” feature promises automated discovery. Instead of pulling reports by hand, the tool scans all connected systems and tags each identity. It can flag accounts that haven’t logged in for 90 days or those that belong to contractors whose contracts ended last month.

A friend who works as a security analyst at a regional bank told me his team cut inventory time from weeks to a couple of days after they tried Avatier’s scanner. He said the tool “seemed to just know where every user lived,” which is a nice way of saying it found things they didn’t even know existed.

2. Making Authentication Tougher – Passwords and More

Passwords alone are weak. A Microsoft study showed that adding multi‑factor authentication (MFA) blocks almost all automated attacks. Yet many companies still rely on password resets that take hours and flood help desks.

Avatier’s password manager lets users reset themselves via a simple web page or mobile app. No need to call IT every time you forget a password. The team at a nonprofit I spoke with reported a 60 % drop in help‑desk tickets after turning on self‑service resets. They also liked that you can set policies like “no reused passwords” and “minimum length,” all from a single screen.

The MFA integration isn’t a big‑deal either. Avatier works with common token apps (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator) and can even push a notification to a phone. For people who dread extra steps, the system can be set up so that low‑risk logins (like from a known office computer) skip the second factor, while risky logins (from a coffee shop) trigger it.

3. Keeping Access Tight – Least‑Privilege in Action

The principle of least‑privilege sounds fancy but basically means: give people only what they need to do their job. If a marketing analyst suddenly gets admin rights on the finance server, that’s a red flag.

Avatier offers role‑based access control (RBAC). You define roles like “HR specialist” or “IT support,” then assign users to those roles. The platform can automatically move someone from “new hire” to “full‑time employee” after a few days, and it can remove all access — the moment an employee leaves the firm.

One of my former classmates works at a health‑care provider that used to process role changes manually in spreadsheets. After switching to Avatier they saw provisioning times shrink from days to minutes, and audit logs showed exactly who approved each change. The CISO there said it felt like the organization finally had “real visibility” over who could touch what.

Putting It All Together – A Practical Roadmap

If you’re thinking “this sounds good, but how do we start?” here’s a rough plan that matches the control’s steps and uses Avatier’s tools.

Phase	What Happens	Approximate Time
Assess	List current identity sources, note gaps	4‑6 weeks
Deploy Core	Install Avatier container, set up discovery and password policies	8‑12 weeks
Add Governance	Enable RBAC, create approval workflows, turn on MFA	6‑8 weeks
Fine‑Tune	Review logs, adjust policies, train end users	Ongoing

You don’t need a massive team for this. A small group of IT staff plus a couple of‑the‑shelf project managers can move through the phases. The biggest win is early visibility – once you know every account exists, you can start locking down the ones that shouldn’t be there.

Why Some Companies Pick Avatier Over Others

1. Speed – Because it runs in containers, you can spin up a test instance in a weekend instead of months.
2. Cost – One license covers inventory, password mgmt, and access governance. No need to buy separate tools for each piece.
3. User Feel – The UI looks more like a modern app than an admin console. People actually enjoy clicking around.
4. Analytics – Basic risk scores pop up when an account behaves oddly (e.g., logs in from two countries at once). It’s not full AI, just enough to raise an alarm.
5. Flexibility – Works on‑prem, in the cloud, or hybrid. You can start small and grow.

A mid‑size insurer I chatted with told me they had tried two other vendors and kept hitting “integration fatigue.” After moving to Avatier they cut integration work by half and felt they could finally meet their audit deadline.

A Tiny Story: The Coffee‑Shop Hackathon

Last year my cousin joined a hackathon at a coffee shop downtown. The challenge? Secure a mock e‑commerce site in 48 hours using only free tools. He set up Okta for login, but spent most of his time wiring APIs together. When he tried Avatier’s free trial he could import users with a single click and enable MFA instantly. His team finished the challenge early and even had time to add a self‑service password reset screen. The judges asked how he pulled it off; his answer was simply “the platform did most of the heavy lifting.”

Stories like that illustrate why fewer moving parts can mean faster security gains.

Possible Drawbacks – A Balanced View

No tool is perfect. Some users say Avatier’s reporting UI can feel “bare‑bones” compared with big enterprise dashboards. Also, because it tries to cover many functions in one package, you might end up with features you never use (like advanced workflow scripting). Finally, if your organization already has deep investments in another vendor, switching costs could still be significant.

These points don’t mean Avatier is a bad choice; they just remind us to weigh the pros and cons against real needs.

Conclusion

CIS Control 5 asks for three things: know every identity, lock down authentication, and match access to role. Avatier offers a single platform that tries to do all three without turning your IT team into a circus of separate tools. Real‑world users have reported quicker inventory builds, fewer password tickets, and faster role changes. At the same time, you still need to plan carefully, keep an eye on cost, and make sure the UI fits your people.

If you’re tired of juggling Okta for login, SailPoint for governance, and another product for passwords, giving Avatier a try might just be the shortcut you need to get past the control checklist and actually improve security day‑to‑day.

Ready to see how it works for your company? A quick demo could show whether the “all‑in‑one” promise holds up in your own environment.

Try Avatier Today