Identity and Access Management (IAM) Explained

Reviewed and updated in October 2026.

As we saw in our previous article on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), a key part of security is making sure you know who is accessing your corporate resources. Combined with Single Sign-on (SSO), that check can be both secure and simple for users, so they are not tempted to fall back on weak credentials.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the framework of processes, policies and technologies that ensures the right people get the right access to the right resources, for the right reasons, and that this access is removed when it is no longer needed. IAM covers authentication (who are you?), authorization (what may you do?) and the lifecycle of digital identities from onboarding to offboarding. It is not a single product, but most organizations run it on an identity provider such as Microsoft Entra ID or Google Workspace.

Identity is only one piece. Once users are identified, you also need to make sure they reach the right resources with the required level of access and permissions. That is where IAM comes in. It is also known as IdM, IdAM or IDAM.

What does IAM do?

In short, IAM ensures that the right people get access to the right resources as securely and transparently as possible from any desktop or mobile device.

1. Authentication

Confirming that a person is who they claim to be, using a combination of proven technologies:

• Single Sign-on (SSO): access multiple resources with one set of credentials
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): stronger authentication through additional factors. Prefer phishing-resistant methods such as FIDO2 security keys, passkeys or smart cards over SMS codes.
• Certificates and biometrics: smart cards, device certificates, fingerprint or face recognition as alternatives to the everyday password
• Identity federation: use credentials from other domains or organizations, for example in large environments spread across countries or regions, or in hybrid deployments where resources are located both on-premises and in the cloud

2. Authorization

Making sure the person gets access to the right resources with the right permissions.

Once a user is authenticated, role-based access control (RBAC) and corporate policies determine what access that user needs for a specific resource or service. In a CRM used to process sales orders, for example, a salesperson can create new orders while a manager can review and approve them. Many organizations add attribute-based access control (ABAC), which also considers attributes such as department, device compliance or location; NIST describes the model in SP 800-162. The guiding principle is least privilege: grant only the access a task requires. Context-based rules of this kind are explained in Demystifying Security: Conditional Access.

3. Identity lifecycle

Accounts and permissions have to follow people through the organization: created when they join, adjusted when they change roles, and removed when they leave. Orphaned accounts and permissions that pile up over the years widen the attack surface, in the cloud too, as described in Demystifying Cybersecurity: Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM).

Why do you need IAM?

• Centralize access control: one central view and control over all your resources
• Save time and effort: streamline how access to corporate resources is granted and revoked
• Improve user experience: no need to manage separate passwords for each resource
• Enhance security: reduce the risk of data breaches, identity theft and unauthorized access to corporate data
• Support regulatory compliance, for example with GDPR or HIPAA
• Collaborate: give customers and partners access without compromising security

What to consider when comparing IAM solutions

• Available authentication methods: password, digital certificates (smart card, USB, file), MFA options including passkeys and FIDO2 security keys, and passwordless sign-in on managed mobile devices
• Supported endpoints: mobile (iOS, Android), desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS) and, where relevant, wearables
• Integration with your current identity provider (IdP): on-premises (Microsoft Active Directory, HCL Domino, OpenLDAP), cloud (Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace) or hybrid (Microsoft Entra Connect with on-premises Active Directory)
• Compatibility with third-party software: on-premises solutions such as Microsoft Exchange, cloud services such as Salesforce or Box, and standards such as SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect for further integrations
• Integration with your current UEM: easy deployment and management of the required software and certificates on your endpoints
• Cost: for cloud customers, the best option may be their existing SaaS provider; others may want to check what their UEM vendor offers

What is the best IAM for me?

Chances are you already have an IAM solution in house. The framework is flexible, so you can add features as your needs grow.

How you implement IAM depends on where your infrastructure is hosted: on-premises, in the cloud, or hybrid. In the latter two cases, your cloud provider already offers IAM capabilities. Review what is in place and decide what still needs to be implemented for the level of security you need. Identity is also the core of a Zero Trust architecture, as described in Zero Trust Architecture in a Nutshell. How enhanced identity management helps against phishing is covered in How to Thwart Phishing Attacks with Enhanced Identity Management.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between IAM and an identity provider?

IAM is the overall framework of processes, policies and technologies. An identity provider (IdP), such as Microsoft Entra ID, is the system that stores identities and authenticates users within that framework.

What is the difference between authentication and authorization?

Authentication checks who someone is, for example with password and MFA. Authorization decides what that person may access once authenticated, for example through roles and policies.

What is the difference between RBAC and ABAC?

Role-based access control (RBAC) grants permissions by role, such as "sales" or "manager". Attribute-based access control (ABAC) evaluates further attributes, such as device compliance, location or data classification, at the time of each request.

How does IAM relate to Zero Trust?

Zero Trust verifies every access request explicitly. IAM supplies the verified identity and the access policies, so it is a core building block of any Zero Trust architecture.

Demystifying Security, the 2020 series: Mobile Threat Defense (MTD) | Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) | Identity and Access Management (IAM) | Virtual Private Network (VPN) | Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) | Zero Trust

Want to align identity, devices and access policies? Our team supports endpoint security and endpoint management projects, and our trainings prepare your administrators. Contact us with any questions.