IGA vs AM

How does IGA differ from AM?

Identity governance and administration (IGA) involves the administrative management of accounts & permissions before and after a user has logged into the IAM system, rather than at the moment of access. On the other hand, access management (AM) steps in during real-time use, working when users are trying to log in to access resources, ensuring the right people get access to the right things at the right time. 

IGA involves processing requests for access, approval workflows and logs what kind of access has been given thus aiding in compliance. It acts as a central hub of user identities and access rights.  

Access Management (AM) becomes active when user accesses a resource. AM provides a seamless experience for users through less friction by leveraging authentication methods such as single sign-on (SSO) that enable one login to access multiple systems.  It also enhances security by enabling MFA to secure access and ensuring right authorization polices are enforced.

What is identity governance and administration (IGA)?

Corporate information security, risk management, compliance teams, and IT organizations utilize Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) solutions to manage digital identities and access permissions across many platforms. IGA solutions assist firms in increasing security, simplifying processes, streamlining onboarding, and complying with government rules, industry standards, or company policies.

IGA capabilities are just one component of a unified identity security platform, which also includes identity and access management (IAM) and privileged access management (PAM) services.

Identity governance and administration (IGA) includes entitlement management, user lifecycle management, access certification, access request workflows and reporting. IGA enables businesses to proactively integrate identity management activities into a cohesive strategy. 

Benefits of identity governance and administration (IGA)

Identity governance and administration (IGA) is vital for managing user identities and assuring the security, compliance, and efficiency of key resource access. Here are the main benefits of using IGA. 

• Scalable access: Because it is automated, access can be readily scaled to numerous environments and permissions. This allows for speedier provisioning, even as the number of users increase.
• Streamlined user lifecycle management: Automation simplifies staff onboarding and offboarding. When workers change positions, their permissions change immediately—just alter their role, and all apps and databases will establish the appropriate access level.
• Automatic tracking of access requests: A centralized vantage point provides visibility into potential breaches, giving you more control over users, devices, and networks. This makes problems easier to identify and fix.
• Enhanced reporting: Reports and analytics contain information from throughout the IT ecosystem, making audits easier. Automated reporting reduces mistakes and enables more accurate decision-making.

Key functions of IGA

• Identity lifecycle management: IGA handles the whole lifecycle of a user's identity, from onboarding (provisioning) to offboarding (deprovisioning), ensuring that users have the appropriate access for their position.
  
• Access request and approval workflows: IGA offers a systematic method for users to seek access to particular resources, with automatic approval workflows that include appropriate managers or stakeholders.
  
• Role management: IGA assists the organization in defining and managing user roles, ensuring that roles are given based on responsibilities and that roles are evaluated on a regular basis.
  
• Access review and certifications: Audits and certifications should be performed on a regular basis to ensure policy and regulatory compliance. IGA automates periodic access evaluations to ensure that users have proper access to resources.
  
• Compliance and reporting: IGA delivers thorough reporting on access restrictions, user activities, and governance procedures to assist organizations in meeting regulatory obligations such as GDPR, SOX, and HIPAA.
  

What is access management (AM)?

Access Management (AM) operates when users are actively accessing the IAM system. It guarantees that authorized users have the necessary permissions to access the resources they require. 

AM solutions incorporate an identity provider (IdP) and impose runtime access rules for cloud, contemporary standards-based, and conventional web applications. AM aims to provide a simplified and uniform user experience by enabling single sign-on (SSO) access. AM provides security features to safeguard user sessions throughout runtime, including MFA and adaptive authentication. Finally, AM may give identity context for other cybersecurity solutions, promoting identity-first security.

Benefits of access management (AM)

Access management is an information security technique that grants users access to essential resources as needed. It has three main concepts: identity, authentication, and authorization. These three procedures work together to guarantee that specific users have the necessary access to execute their duties while protecting critical resources and information from unauthorized users.

• Multi-factor authentication: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires the user to present at least two pieces of evidence to validate their identity. This reduces the possibility of identity theft. 

• Single sign-on (SSO): AM provides single sign-on (SSO) capabilities, which allows users to log in once and access various apps without having to re-enter credentials. This enhances the user experience by minimizing password fatigue and lowering the likelihood of users repeating weak passwords across many services.
  
• Adaptive authentication: AM allows for adaptive authentication functionality based on contextual information such as user location, device and behavior. This guarantees that access is provided or restricted based on the amount of risk, improving the overall security of the system.
  
• Improved user experience: AM enhances the user experience by simplifying the login process using SSO and seamless authentication, letting users access numerous resources more quickly and effectively. This leads to more productivity and less irritation with cumbersome login processes.
  

Key functions of AM

• Authentication and authorization: AM verifies a user's identity (authentication) and ensures that they have the required permissions to access specified resources (authorization). Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) are popular methods used in AM to improve security and user comfort.
  
• Session management: AM controls user sessions, ensuring that authenticated sessions are safe, and that session timeouts or re-authentication requirements are enforced as needed.
  
• Federated identity: AM allows users to access resources across domains or organizations by establishing trust between identity providers and service providers, frequently through protocols like as OAuth, OpenID Connect, or SAML.
• Access policies: AM applies access controls based on the user's role, location, device, and time of access.

How IGA and AM work together

While IGA and AM have unique duties, they work together to provide a secure identity and access management system. IGA offers the governance structure that ensures users are given appropriate access permissions based on their responsibilities, while AM enforces those access rules in real time when users interact with systems and applications.