ISPM—or Identity Security Posture Management—is a security checkup for all your user accounts and access rights.
These tools and processes continuously scan your identity systems (like Microsoft 356, Google Workspace, or Active Directory) to find "posture" weaknesses. It’s like a building inspector but for your digital identities.
Why care? Because stolen credentials are the top way hackers break into networks. ISPM tools shine a spotlight on weak points before attackers can exploit them.
Why ISPM matters
You can’t protect what you can’t see. In modern IT, "identity" isn't just about people. It’s also service accounts, API keys, and automated bots, all scattered across cloud and on-prem apps.
It's incredibly easy to lose track. An employee leaves, but an old account stays active. A developer spins up a new app with admin rights for a "quick test" and forgets to remove it.
Each of these forgotten, misconfigured, or overly permissive accounts is a digital back door, just waiting for an attacker to find it. ISPM is built to map out this entire messy landscape and show you where the unlocked doors are.
What ISPM finds (and what it misses)
ISPM is fantastic at finding static, "at-rest" problems. It's like checking all the locks on your house's doors and windows before you go on vacation.
An ISPM tool scans your environment and flags common (but dangerous) risks:
Dormant accounts: Old accounts for former employees that were never disabled.
Risky misconfigurations: Settings like "MFA is not required for admins."
Orphaned accounts: Service accounts tied to an old project that no one monitors.
Permission creep: When an employee moves roles and just keeps collecting new, unnecessary permissions.
But here's the reality check: ISPM can't tell the difference between a real employee logging in and a hacker using that employee's stolen password. A static scan sees a valid user, not a malicious action.
How Huntress tackles identity security
This is where a managed approach, like the Huntress Managed Identity Security solution, comes in. Huntress doesn't just sell a standalone ISPM tool. Instead, it combines ISPM-like posture checks with 24/7, human-led threat hunting.
It’s a fully managed solution that looks for both static posture problems and active attacks.
On the posture side, the Huntress platform includes an Identity Security Assessment that automatically scans your Microsoft 365 tenant. It looks for:
Rogue Applications: Malicious or risky OAuth apps installed in your tenant.
Shadow Workflows: Suspicious email forwarding rules that hackers use to steal data.
Unwanted Access: Dormant accounts or risky login patterns.
But the real power is what happens next. When the system flags an active threat—like a suspicious login from a weird location, a session hijacking attempt, or a malicious app being used—it doesn't just send you an automated alert.
The alert goes straight to the 24/7 Huntress Security Operations Center (SOC). Their human threat hunters investigate it, confirm if it's a real attack (cutting out the noise), and then send you a plain-English report with exact steps on how to fix it. In critical cases, the SOC can even take action to immediately isolate a compromised account to stop a hacker in their tracks.
In conclusion
ISPM is an essential starting point for modern security. It helps you clean up your identity environment and lock your digital windows.
But posture alone isn't enough. A managed solution (like Huntress's) combines those important posture checks with 24/7 human experts who are actively watching for attackers who still find a way in. Book a demo today to see how the Huntress Platform protects your organization from bad threat actors.
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