Access management is a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity that ensures the right individuals access the right resources without compromising security. It involves identifying, authenticating, and authorizing users, with authentication being the process of proving one's identity, authorization determining what actions can be taken based on roles and permissions, and identity and access management tying everything together. Access management is crucial for protecting sensitive data, ensuring regulatory compliance, enhancing operational efficiency, and supporting remote work and BYOD. It works through a lifecycle that includes identification, authentication, authorization, and accountability, with key processes like user provisioning and deprovisioning, role and attribute assignment, and access requests and approvals. Common security risks include unauthorized access, internal threats, external threats, data breaches, compliance violations, privilege escalation, account hijacking, and credential theft. Access management solutions can be on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid, with IAM platforms providing a centralized system for managing user identities and controlling resource access. Identity Governance and Administration tools focus on managing the user identity lifecycle, while Privileged Access Management tools secure and manage accounts with elevated access rights. User and Entity Behavior Analytics tools use machine learning to detect anomalous behavior, and Federated identity management enables organizations to extend their IAM systems across multiple domains or organizations. Best practices for access management include implementing the principle of least privilege, reviewing and updating access policies regularly, deploying Multi-Factor Authentication, conducting regular audits and compliance checks, and using automated tools for access management.