Workforce Identity Concepts

Understanding Workforce Identity

Enterprises depend on identities. Employees, contractors, and partners all need access to systems and data to do their work — securely and efficiently. Workforce Identity brings together the digital identities of your workforce and the controls that govern and enforce how those identities are used across your organization.

Unlike a single feature or product, Workforce Identity spans several disciplines that work together:

• Identity Management (Lifecycle): Creating, updating, and retiring workforce identities and entitlements as people join, move, and leave.
• Access Management (AM): Enforcing who can sign in and what they can access in real time (authentication, SSO, federation, MFA).
• Identity Governance & Administration (IGA): Establishing policy, visibility, and accountability over access (reviews, certifications, SoD, and audit).

OpenIAM provides a platform that unifies identity lifecycle automation, access management, and governance to help organizations improve security and user experience.

Explore Workforce Identity →

What is Workforce Identity?

Workforce Identity represents the complete model of who your internal users are (employees, contractors, partners), what they are permitted to do, and how those permissions are governed and enforced.

It includes identities, credentials, roles, policies, approvals, and audit trails — all working together to ensure every user has the right access at the right time.

Workforce Identity is broader than “identity management.” Management is the operational process, while Workforce Identity describes the overall framework that connects lifecycle, governance, and access controls.

The Three Pillars of Workforce Identity

Identity Management (Lifecycle)

Overview of all lifecycle automation processes.

• Joiner-Mover-Leaver (JML) lifecycle – Automates onboarding, transfers, and offboarding. 
  • Automated Provisioning
  • Automated De-Provisioning
• Reconciliation (align actual access with policy) – Ensures system access stays aligned with policy. 
• Birthright Access for new hires – Defines minimum, attribute-driven access for each role. 
• Orphan Account detection and cleanup – Removal of unassociated accounts.

Access Management (AM)

Controls runtime access and user experience:

• Single Sign-On (SSO)
• Standards: SAML, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC)
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• Adaptive or Contextual Authentication

Identity Governance & Administration (IGA)

Provides oversight and compliance:

• Access Certification and periodic reviews
• Segregation of Duties (SoD)
• Policy-based controls and reporting for GDPR, HIPAA, and other regulations

Core Workforce Identity Concepts

Lifecycle & Provisioning

• Joiner-Mover-Leaver Process

• Automated Provisioning
• Automated De-Provisioning
• Reconciliation
• Orphan Accounts
• Provisioning Connectors

Governance, Compliance & Strategy

• Identity Governance
• Access Certification
• IGA vs AM
• GDPR
• HIPAA
• Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)

Access Control

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
• Segregation of Duties (SoD)
• Birthright Access

Authentication & Federation (Access Management)

• Single Sign-On (SSO)
• SAML
• OAuth
• OpenID Connect (OIDC)
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• LDAP
• Just-in-Time Provisioning

Why Workforce Identity Matters

Managing identities consistently across the enterprise improves both security and efficiency.

• Security: Apply least-privilege principles and reduce breach exposure.
• Compliance: Maintain clear, auditable records of who has access to what.
• Efficiency: Automate onboarding and offboarding, reduce manual requests.
• User Experience: Enable seamless access through SSO and contextual authentication.

As hybrid work, cloud apps, and regulatory pressures increase, having a unified approach to Workforce Identity ensures the organization stays secure, compliant, and productive.

OpenIAM helps organizations align lifecycle, governance, and access management under one operational model so you can:

• Automate the joiner–mover–leaver process
• Apply RBAC and ABAC policies consistently
• Certify access through governance workflows
• Integrate with HR systems, directories, and SaaS applications

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is Workforce Identity the same as Workforce Identity Management?

No. Workforce Identity is the overall framework of users, policies, and access relationships. Workforce Identity Management refers to the implementation and automation of those processes.

2. How does Workforce Identity support Zero Trust?

By continuously verifying users and enforcing context-based policies, Workforce Identity enables the least-privilege and verification principles of Zero Trust.

3. Where do IGA and AM fit within Workforce Identity?

IGA governs access and enforces compliance, while AM manages authentication and access enforcement. Together they form two key pillars of Workforce Identity.

4. How does OpenIAM support Workforce Identity?

OpenIAM provides a single platform that integrates lifecycle automation, access controls, and governance, helping organizations reduce risk and improve efficiency.