Identity Access Management (IAM) for SMEs in Production and Manufacturing in Germany

• Security as the foundation

• Why IAM is important for small businesses and production companies

• Advantages of the Garancy IAM Suite

• Strategic security solution for manufacturing businesses

Security as the foundation

Beta Systems is aware of the important role that an IAM system plays in the overall architecture of a company. That is why Garancy is delivered with a software bill of materials (SBOM) that makes it easier for the company to demonstrate compliance with regulations and minimize the risk of legal consequences. As a security-critical software, Garancy is programmed in Germany and is therefore not only bound by EU laws, but also subject to strict German regulations. Support is also located in Germany, thus subject to German legislation, and offers 24/7 support in German and English. Regular safety training is mandatory for the support and development teams.

With Garancy, you get software that is guaranteed to be backdoor-free. The code review process is based on triple approval (six eyes principle), and independent external testing is performed using penetration tests. Before each release, the software also undergoes dependency checks according to OWASP to rule out unwanted dependencies.

The implementation of Garancy in a company's IT architecture can be carried out either internally, by an implementation partner of the company's choice, or by Beta Systems Professional Service. Beta Systems offers support from the POC (proof of concept) phase to training employees and beyond, if required. Thanks to years of experience in the European and international market, a functional solution can be implemented within a few weeks. Further measures to ensure a secure supply chain include not only the SBOM, but also the fact that Beta Systems, as an organization and as the manufacturer of Garancy, is ISO27001 certified and provides a complete change log for updates.

Why IAM is important for SMEs and production companies

“Made in Germany” is a global byword for products of the very highest quality, functional safety, reliability and innovation. As a result, anyone in Germany who focuses on manufacturing innovative, reliable goods faces a number of challenges. In addition to the ongoing digitalization of production processes and the use of Industry 4.0 technologies, it is essential to ensure that access to sensitive production data and manufacturing systems is subject to strict controls. This applies in particular to companies sectors such as automotive, mechanical engineering and defense, as well as in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, where trade secrets and the protection of intellectual property and production processes are vital.

An IAM solution like Garancy monitors access to critical and regular systems used in day-to-day work and ensures that only authorized persons are granted access. This significantly contributes to maximizing operational efficiency, protecting sensitive information and ensuring compliance with legal requirements.

Strengthening cyber resilience

Manufacturing companies with complex systems and valuable resources are prime targets for hackers and cybercriminals. Attacks on such organizations can have serious consequences, from production downtime and financial losses to reputational damage.

Garancy helps to minimize these threats by supporting the implementation of strict access policies and ensuring that only authorized individuals have access to sensitive data and systems at exactly the right time. The regular evaluation of access rights and the consistent segregation of duties effectively prevent the accumulation of rights.

Compliance with legal requirements

Production companies in Germany must comply with a variety of legal requirements and industry standards, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), various ISO standards, as well as NIS2, DORA, HIPAA, TISAX and KRITIS. All of these set strict rules for the protection of information and secure handling of data.

Garancy helps companies meet these compliance requirements by providing centralized protocols and controls for managing and monitoring user access.

Transparent and auditable access rights distribution

A key function of an IAM system is the ability to provide companies with a quick and comprehensive response to audit requests. Garancy enables organizations to not only meet security requirements through transparent and traceable rights management, but also to successfully and efficiently manage audits. The traceability of both current authorizations and historical data makes Garancy an indispensable solution for compliance in highly regulated industries.

Efficient user access management

Manufacturing companies usually have to manage a large number of users, including internal employees, external partners and suppliers. Managing access rights in such an environment can be complex and time-consuming, especially across different systems and locations. Without a centralized IAM solution, companies risk giving users more access rights than they need, increasing the chances of security incidents.

Garancy offers an automated solution that provides users only with the rights they need, following the least privilege principle. This improves security and increases operational efficiency by significantly reducing the manual effort required to manage user rights. In addition, Garancy supports segregation of duties (SoD) policies by alerting relevant persons when the assignment of rights could result in potential violations – for example, a breach of the four-eyes principle.

Adaptability to individual infrastructures

Larger companies often have a heterogeneous IT landscape that includes many operating systems, networks, specialized applications, programming languages and locations. This infrastructure often grows over the years and includes a mix of standard software and customized solutions, which are often developed in-house.

Garancy is highly adaptable and can be seamlessly integrated into existing IT systems. By using connectors, the IAM system can centrally manage access rights across different systems and ensure that all users are subject to the respective security policies. This is particularly important when external partners or third-party providers are involved in the production process. Beta Systems already has experience in integrating Garancy into existing ITSM tools such as Jira, Salesforce or ServiceNow.

The role of an IAM system in a global presence

Many internationally operating manufacturing companies face the challenge of managing access to their systems and data worldwide. Different languages, time zones and country-specific legal requirements significantly increase the complexity of this task.

With an IAM solution like Garancy, production and manufacturing businesses enable the central and location-independent administration of user access. The software offers a user-friendly interface in several languages, by default in English, German, French and Spanish. If required, additional language packs can be set up and integrated. This multilingual support ensures that security policies are consistently applied across all subsidiaries – making it easier to manage access rights globally.

Increased efficiency through automation

Companies in the production industry are often under significant pressure to reduce costs while improving performance. Increasing efficiency and reducing costs are crucial to remaining competitive. An IAM solution like Garancy can significantly increase efficiency by automating many administrative processes.

Automating the creation, maintenance and deactivation of user accounts ensures that access rights are managed swiftly and accurately. It reduces manual effort and increases security by quickly and efficiently removing access rights that are no longer needed.

Garancy supports the entire employee lifecycle – from onboarding to role changes, project-related tasks and offboarding. In the case of mergers and acquisitions, for example, a large number of employees can be provided with access to new tools and data in a very short time. At the same time, access rights can be quickly withdrawn if necessary.

Advantages of the Garancy Suite at a glance

• Fast implementation: A functional Garancy version can be live in only a few weeks. Typical implementation projects can be realized in four to six months.

• Control over costs and budget: A fixed-price option for the IAM solution ensures transparency and plannable costs.

• Flexible deployment: Garancy is available on-premise (to buy or rent) and as an SaaS solution for cloud-first strategies.

• Demo environment: Quick provision of a test environment that can be transferred to the final implementation.

• Compliance: Support in meeting KRITIS, ISO 27001, TISAX and other regulations.

• Efficient onboarding: Quick provision of tools and applications for new employees, also in the event of company mergers or acquisitions that require quick action.

• Immediate action: Instantly revoke rights in the event of compliance or fraud incidents with an emergency shutdown option.

• Cost-effective for SAP: One-time licensing of the SAP connector, which can integrate multiple SAP systems.

• International support: 24/7 support with multilingual assistance.

• ITSM integration: Integration into common ITSM tools such as Jira and ServiceNow.

Garancy IAM Suite: Strategic security solution for manufacturing businesses

SMEs and companies in the production and manufacturing industry in Germany that work with sensitive data and confidential information are faced with the challenge of ensuring the highest level of IT security. Garancy from Beta Systems offers an identity access management solution that is specially tailored to these requirements.

Offering a combination of strict security measures, flexible integration into existing IT infrastructures and automated access management, Garancy is a central solution for optimizing both security and efficiency in the company. Developed in compliance with European and German legal requirements, the software ensures that companies are effectively protected against cyber threats and can easily comply with legal requirements.

Companies that choose Garancy benefit from centralized and secure access management that increases operational efficiency and strengthens the organization's cyber resilience.