Identity And Access Management

An enterprise typically cannot manage IAM (Identity and Access Management) solely with IDM (Identity Management) or IGA (Identity Governance and Administration) — unless the IAM requirements are very limited.

Here’s why:

1. IDM focuses on identity lifecycle management
IDM systems handle:

a. Creating, updating, and deleting user identities.

b. Provisioning and deprovisioning access to systems.

c. Synchronizing identity data across systems.

Limitations: IDM tools usually don’t enforce access policies, provide runtime access controls, or offer fine-grained access enforcement.

2. IGA adds governance, but not enforcement
IGA systems provide:

a. Role management and access reviews.

b. Policy-based access controls.

c. Compliance reporting and audit trails.

Limitations: IGA solutions don’t provide real-time authentication/authorization mechanisms or access enforcement — they manage who should have access, not who does in real time.

3. IAM is broader
IAM also includes:

a. Authentication (e.g., SSO, MFA).

b. Authorization (e.g., ABAC, RBAC at the application/API level).

c. Access enforcement (e.g., PAM, Zero Trust enforcement points).

These components are not fully covered by IDM or IGA platforms alone.

Conclusion:
IDM and IGA are essential parts of IAM, but not the whole picture. For a complete IAM solution, enterprises typically combine IDM/IGA with tools like:

a. Access Management (AM) platforms (e.g., ForgeRock AM, Okta).

b. Privileged Access Management (PAM).

c. Policy engines or enforcement points (e.g., OPA, ZTA gateways).

d. Directory services and federation tools (e.g., AD, ADFS, SAML/OIDC).