Identity and Access Management: What is it?

The implementation of an IAM solution within an organization enables the allocation, modification and deletion of access rights to systems and applications to be controlled and automated. It ensures that each employee has only the necessary access, by applying the principle of least privilege and reinforcing user authentication. These mechanisms reduce the risks associated with human error, internal threats and external attacks, while guaranteeing traceability and compliance with regulatory requirements.

I propose to explore the role of IAM, its challenges and its impact on digital transformation and corporate cybersecurity. We'll see how effective identity and access management helps to secure IT infrastructure, optimize user experience and strengthen the protection of sensitive data.

Corporate cybersecurity is based on four pillars defined by ANSSI : governance, protection, defense and resilience. Among these, Identity and Access Management (IAM) plays a central role.

👉 Quick definition of IAM

Identity and Access Management (IAM) ensures that only the right people have access to the right resources, at the right time and for the right duration.

IAM is based on strict access control to limit unauthorized access and guarantee optimum traceability. It encompasses various identity and access management processes to secure a company's networks and digital resources.

It groups together all the processes enabling the IT department to manage and secure user authorizations (employees, contractors, temporary staff, etc.).

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What is Identity and Access Management?

IAM: centralized identity and access management

IAM relies on strict access control to limit unauthorized access and guarantee optimum traceability.

It rests on three fundamental pillars:

Identification: each user has a unique identity (employee, service provider, partner).
Authentication:identity verification using methods such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) or biometrics.
Authorization: granting and controlling access according to role, rights and business needs.

IAM does more than simply allocate access. It monitors and audits them in real time, guaranteeing traceability and compliance with regulations.

Why has IAM become essential?

Ten years ago, managing corporate identities was simple: create an account in Microsoft's Active Directory, set up a mailbox and configure your workstation. Today, with hybrid working and the proliferation of cloud applications, identity management has become a headache.

The average employee uses around 30 applications, spread across internal servers, the cloud and SaaS. This dispersion increases the risk of cyber-attacks, whereidentity theft has become a major entry point for hackers. The question is no longer if a company will be targeted, but when.

At the same time, regulations (RGPD, NIS2, DORA) require strict access control and rigorous audits. Without IAM, ensuring this compliance is a challenge. The absence of an effective solution exposes companies to unauthorized access, increasing the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks.

IAM: more than access, an identity lifecycle

IAM does more than simply assign access rights: it accompanies the user throughout his or her time with the company, from arrival to departure.

As soon as a new employee is hired, a well-configured IAM system automates the onboarding process: registration in the HR system, account creation, allocation of appropriate access rights, without tedious manual intervention. Without IAM, these tasks rely on exchanges between managers, HR and IT, leading to oversights, frustration and delays.

An employee's development also entails changes in access. When they are promoted or change departments, they have to obtain new rights, but above all lose those that have become useless. In most companies, these deletions are not systematic, and ex-employees sometimes retain sensitive rights to tools they should no longer be using. IAM makes it possible to dynamically readjust permissions in line with professional developments, thus avoiding the accumulation of useless rights.

When an employee leaves, his or her access rights must be revoked immediately. However, this step is often neglected, leaving inactive accounts that can be exploited by attackers. IAM automatically removes accesses as soon as the departure is validated.

Finally, for effective governance, regular audits are essential. IAM systems analyze accesses in real time, detect anomalies and automate their correction, thus reducing errors and threats.

IAM VS manual access management: a paradigm shift

For a long time, identity management relied on manual, informal processes: creating accounts on demand, assigning access according to managers' requests, and revoking access when an employee left the company.

👉 Result: active accounts for months or even years, exposing the company to major risks.

With the proliferation of applications and teleworking, manual management has become inefficient, leading to errors, residual access and security breaches.

Today, this approach is inadequate, which is why IAM automates and centralizes this management. Rights are assigned according to role, dynamically adjusted and deleted as soon as they are no longer required. Inactive accounts are detected and closed automatically, reducing security vulnerabilities.

More than just an efficiency booster, IAM has become a strategic cybersecurity issue. By replacing manual management with automated control, companies strengthen their security, gain agility and ensure compliance. What's more, automation enables IT teams to work on higher value-added tasks.

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Identity governance: IAM as a pillar of security

Identity and Access Management does more than simply organize accounts and accesses. It is one of the fundamental pillars of IT security, guaranteeing that each user only has the permissions that are strictly necessary. By structuring identity and access management, IAM reduces the attack surface, limits the risk ofidentity theft and ensures complete traceability of actions carried out on information systems.

In an environment where cyber-attacks are on the rise and regulations are tightening, companies can no longer afford approximate identity management. They need to rely on proven security principles, including the AAA model, the Zero Trust approach, Privileged Account Management (PAM ) and compliance with regulatory requirements.

IAM & IT security: the AAA triptych

Access security is based on three pillars: Authentication, Authorization, Audit. This model guarantees that every interaction with information systems is secure and justified, and ensures a high level of security through strong authentication.

Authentication: verify useridentity
Authentication ensures that only legitimate users can access resources. As passwords alone are vulnerable, strong authentication requires several validation factors (MFA, SSO Single Sign On, biometrics, physical key). This approach blocks a large proportion of cyber-attacks.
Authorization: controlling access
Once authenticated, a user can only access the resources required for his or her role. Authorization is based on strict rules:
- Fewer privileges: access limited to what is strictly necessary.
- Separation of duties: double validation for certain sensitive actions.
- Dynamic authorization: takes context (device, location) into account.
Audit & traceability: monitor and anticipate
Every access is logged to detect any anomalies. Real-time monitoring identifies suspicious behavior and limits risks before they become critical.

IAM & zero trust: continuous access control

Traditional approaches granted global access once the user was authenticated on the network. With the rise of the cloud, teleworking and remote access, this method has become obsolete.

Zero Trust is based on a simple principle: "Never trust, always verify". Each access request is evaluated according to context and risk level, regardless of the user's location.

An IAM aligned with Zero Trust applies:
✅ Conditional access management based onidentity, device and location.
✅ Systematic authentication, including for internal users.
✅ Threat detection that automatically blocks suspicious behavior.

Thanks to this approach, IAM considerably reduces the risks of unauthorized access and identity compromise.

Privileged Access Management (PAM) and the fight against shadow IT

Not all accounts are created equal. Administrator accounts and privileged access are prime targets for attackers, as they enable access to critical information or modification of sensitive configurations.

A robust IAM includes specific management of privileged accounts (Privileged Access Management - PAM), which requires :

Time-limited access, with high rights granted for a specific period only.
Session monitoring, recording every action performed by an administrator on sensitive systems.
Validation of access via double approval, especially for critical operations.

At the same time, IAM plays a key role in the fight against shadow IT, by mapping and securing the use of tools not approved by the IT department.

Compliance and IAM: a regulatory challenge

IAM is also central to ensuring regulatory compliance. Legislative frameworks such as RGPD, NIS2, DORA, SOX or ISO 27001 require companies to rigorously manage access and increase traceability of actions carried out on their systems.

To meet these requirements, companies must :

Implement a strict access control policy, ensuring that only authorized persons have access to sensitive data.
Automate identity reconciliation, to avoid ghost accounts and ensure a match between IT accounts and actual employees.
Ensure continuous monitoring of access, with regular audits and periodic reviews of permissions granted.

By integrating these requirements into their IAM guidlines, companies strengthen their security and compliance while limiting the risk of financial penalties.

IAM in your company: a necessity

Managing identity and access in a modern organization is a major challenge. Without a dedicated solution, companies accumulate accounts, credentials and permissions without any real oversight, creating an environment ripe for human error and security breaches. As a result, IT departments find themselves swamped with manual access management tasks, increasing delays and the risk of errors. And yet, many of them continue to adopt an artisanal approach to access management, with slow, inefficient manual processes.

In the face of this growing complexity, Identity and Access Management (IAM) has become a strategic lever, not only for strengthening security, but also for improving operational efficiency.

Challenges encountered without IAM

In a company without an IAM tool, identity management is often based on fragmented manual processes, involving several players: managers, HR department, IT department... This mode of operation is not only time-consuming, but also increases the risk of errors and inconsistencies.

One of the first problems is the multiplication of accounts and logins. With the rise of cloud tools and SaaS software, an employee can have dozens of logins, each managed independently. When these accesses are not centralized, it becomes difficult to keep track of who has what, increasing the risk of orphaned accounts or residual access after an employee has left the company.

This lack of visibility leads to a major security problem: some employees retain access rights far in excess of their needs. It's not uncommon for an employee who has changed departments to still have access to his or her old applications, which can pose a risk of data leakage. Worse still, when a service provider or subcontractor completes his or her assignment, access rights are not always revoked immediately, leaving an entry point that can be exploited by an attacker.

Added to this is administrative inertia. Account creation and access allocation are often slow, requiring multiple validations and interminable exchanges between departments. A newcomer may have to wait several days to obtain all the access necessary for his or her position, which hampers productivity and creates frustration.

Finally, the absence of an IAM exposes the company to human error and targeted attacks. Erroneously granted access, forgotten accounts, mismanaged permissions... These flaws are the main entry points for cyber-attacks, particularly through phishing or the exploitation of inactive accounts.

In this context, relying on an IAM solution is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

The benefits of a well-deployed IAM solution

Implementing an IAM solution makes it possible to structure and automate the entire identity lifecycle, from an employee's first day on the job right through to their departure.

One of the first benefits is theautomation of access flows. Rather than processing each request manually, an IAM enables precise rules to be defined: when an employee joins a department, access is automatically granted according to his or her role. These processes, known as validation workflows, can include automatic approvals or delegations to managers, avoiding the need for constant back-and-forth between teams.

The employee experience is also greatly enhanced. A newcomer benefits immediately from the tools they need, without having to wait several days. Similarly, a well-designed IAM provides a self-service portal, where every user can easily request additional access or report a problem, reducing the workload on the IT department.

In terms of security, IAM enables fine-tuned management of access rights. Each user is assigned only the permissions required for his or her position, according to the principle of least privilege. When a user changes function or leaves the company, access rights are automatically adjusted or deleted, thus avoiding residual access. What's more, thanks to real-time analysis mechanisms, it is possible to identify any suspicious activity and intervene rapidly in the event of abnormal behavior.

Finally, IAM plays a key role in regulatory compliance. With increasingly stringent standards (RGPD, NIS2, DORA...), companies need to be able to prove who has access to which data and why. IAM solutions facilitate this traceability and simplify audits, thus avoiding potential sanctions.

The impact is twofold: enhanced security, combined with smoother, more efficient identity management.

Real-life use cases

Adopting an IAM profoundly transforms the day-to-day management of corporate identities. Here are a few concrete examples where its contribution is particularly visible.

1. Simplifying onboarding and offboarding

In a typical company, the integration of a new employee follows a tedious manual process: the manager sends a request for access to the IT department, which creates accounts and configures them application by application. This process can take several days, or even weeks.

With an IAM, onboarding becomes virtually instantaneous. As soon as a new employee is registered in the HRIS, their profile is synchronized with the IAM, which automatically assigns them all the access rights required for their role. As a result, they can be operational from day one.

Offboarding is just as critical. When an employee leaves the company, their access must be immediately revoked to avoid any security risks. With an IAM, this deletion is automated and complete, ensuring that no residual account remains active after departure.

2. Effective management of internal mobility

An employee who is promoted or transferred must have his or her access rights updated immediately, but also revoked where they are no longer required. Yet in many companies, these changes are not systematically applied, creating phantom accesses.

With IAM, these adjustments are managed dynamically. When an employee changes position, his IAM profile is automatically updated, modifying his access rights in real time. This saves time, and ensures that the company's exposure to risk is reduced.

3. Control of service providers and subcontractors

Companies are increasingly working with external service providers, who need access to certain resources to carry out their tasks. The problem? Such access is rarely properly supervised, and sometimes a subcontractor is still able to connect to internal tools several months after the end of his or her contract.

An IAM enables temporary, time-limited access to be granted to service providers, who are automatically removed once their mission has been completed.

Specifically, how do you implement identity management?

Implementing an IAM tool is more than just subscribing to a SaaS solution. It requires a methodical approach, integrating processes, technologies and governance. A well-deployed IAM must be intuitive, automated and secure, while adapting to the company's specific needs.

To make this transition a success, it is essential to follow four fundamental steps to ensure effective identity and access management.

1. Build a user repository

The first step is to establish a corporate identity database. This involves centralizing all information on employees, subcontractors and anyone else with access to IT resources.

Historically, this data has been scattered across several systems: HR tools, internal databases, manual Excel files... An IAM solution needs to integrate with these sources to create a single, reliable user repository.

Key points for a successful identity repository :

Data consolidation: connection with the HRIS (Human Resources Information System) to synchronize identities in real time.
External user management: consideration of service providers, subcontractors and partners.
Standardization of identities: elimination of duplicates and introduction of a unique identifier for each user.
Automatic updates: every job arrival, departure or modification must be reflected in real time in the IAM repository.

A well-structured repository prevents ghost accounts and enables smooth, secure access management.

2. Build a repository of applications and access accounts

IAM is not limited to user identities: it must also map all the resources that these identities can access.

This phase consists of listing all the applications and systems used in the company, specifying the access levels for each user or group of users.

How do you structure an efficient access repository?

Inventory all applications and platforms: SaaS, in-house tools, on-premise systems...
List associated account types: standard user accounts, privileged accounts, service accounts.
Identify permissions and roles: determine the access levels required for each user group.
Automate access updates: every time a new application is added, it must be integrated into the IAM to avoid shadow IT (use of unsupervised software).

This application repository is the cornerstone of access rights management. It prevents users from having excessive or inappropriate permissions for their workstations.

3. Reconcile accounts and automate access assignment

Once the identity and application repositories have been created, each user must be linked to the right accesses. This is called account reconciliation. Automatic account provisioning enables access to be assigned, modified or deleted in real time, according to changes detected in HR systems.

In many companies, discrepancies exist between user accounts and HR databases: some employees still have access despite having left, or new employees wait several days before obtaining their permissions.

Reconciliation allows :

Match each identity to its IT accounts and eliminate orphan accounts.
Automate access assignment based on user roles and responsibilities.
Implement dynamic provisioning and deprovisioning, where every change in the HRIS is immediately reflected in the IAM.
Reinforce traceability by ensuring that every account and every permission has a justification.

Companies that automate these tasks with an IAM solution significantly reduce human error, and ensure that no one retains unnecessary access after a transfer or departure.

4. Define an access and control policy

An effective IAM is not limited to the creation of accounts: it must be supported by strict management rules to guarantee access security.

One of the most widespread approaches is the principle of least privilege: a user should only have access to the resources strictly necessary for his or her work, no more and no less.

Key elements of a good IAM policy :

Apply dynamic permissions: access must evolve with the workstation and the user's needs.
Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA): to reinforce security on sensitive applications.
Adopt the Zero Trust model: systematically verify every connection attempt, and never consider a user as reliable by default.
Carry out regular access audits: identify anomalies and adjust rights if necessary.

Effective identity management must not be static: it must be living, evolving and constantly adjusted to the company's changing needs.

Tools and technologies for managing IAM

The IAM market offers a range of solutions, from on-premise tools to SaaS platforms. The choice depends on the company's level of maturity and specific needs.

On-premise IAM vs. SaaS IAM

On-premise IAM: hosted in-house, suitable for companies with solid local infrastructures.
SaaS IAM (e.g. Youzer): more agile, facilitates identity management across multiple SaaS and hybrid environments, adapted to needs through regular version upgrades.

Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Administrator accounts are prime targets for cyber-attackers. A PAM (Privileged Access Management) solution makes it possible to :

Limit access to privileged accounts and restrict it to specific sessions.
Supervise and record every action performed by an administrator.
Apply multi-level validations to secure access to critical data.

Best practices for a successful IAM

Implementing an IAM solution is a transformation project that needs to be accompanied by solid governance.

Raising employee awareness of cybersecurity

Effective IAM also relies on good user adoption. Training employees in good practices (avoiding account sharing, reporting any anomalies) is essential to reduce internal risks.

Monitor and audit access regularly

Companies should organize periodic reviews of permissions, to ensure that each user always has the right rights for his or her workstation.

Adapting IAM to new uses

Hybrid working and the rise of SaaS tools call for agile, scalable IAM. Companies need to be able to integrate new applications rapidly, without compromising security.

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Conclusion

Identity and Access Management (IAM) has become an essential pillar of enterprise cybersecurity and access governance. With the explosion in threats, regulations and hybrid digital environments, manual identity management is no longer viable. By automating rights assignment, strengthening authentication and ensuring rigorous monitoring, IAM improves security, compliance and operational efficiency all at once. Its adoption is no longer an option, but a strategic necessity for any organization wishing to protect its data and optimize its access processes.