Identity management acronyms aren’t anyone’s idea of a fun day out, but successfully securing identities requires carefully stitching together each of these acronyms into a comprehensive identity security solution.
In this article, we discuss AM, PAM, IGA, ADM – and how a unified identity platform (UIP) can help you tie them all together. Let’s start by defining each of these acronyms.
The identity security mix
Many moving parts contribute to securing user identities (and consequentially, securing the systems that these identities grant access to). From controlling entry to securing the most privileged accounts to defending directories that catalog identities and permissions:
Access management (AM): Controls the gates that enable users to access applications and systems with a set of credentials, often including Single Sign-On (SSO) to allow access to multiple systems.Good access management includes an extra layer of security such as requiring additional verification factors like a one-time PIN or biometric scan (these methods are known as Multi-Factor Authentication or MFA).
Privileged access management (PAM): A secure vault for the credentials of the most powerful, impactful user and system accounts in an organization. These accounts often have elevated permissions to access sensitive data, critical systems and core infrastructure.PAM tightly controls and monitors access to privileged accounts, commonly requiring extra layers of authentication and recording all activity to prevent misuse while also maintaining an audit trail.
Identity governance and administration (IGA): A structured framework for managing digital identities throughout their lifecycle. This includes the administration of accounts (creating, updating, deleting) to ensure the right people have the correct access.
IGA also encompasses governance, establishing processes for certification and attestation and regularly verifying that access rights are appropriate and compliant.
Active Directory management (ADM): ADM provides specialized tools to manage active directory (AD) objects, users, groups and their associated permissions, ensuring efficient and secure administration of this core identity system.
It’s a mix of acronyms – but each branch of identity management plays a key part in your cybersecurity posture. In the next sections, we look at the value of each of the components of identity and cybersecurity, and how they relate to each other.
Where does access management fit in?
Think of access management (AM) as the front door to your organization's digital assets. It's the first line of defense: it verifies who users are and grants users the appropriate access to applications and systems. AM is essential, but relying solely on AM can leave your organization vulnerable:
- AM primarily focuses on authentication and authorization for applications. It doesn't address the lifecycle management of identities, privileged access or identity and access governance.
- Nor does AM provide the fine-grained access control needed for sensitive data and critical systems. It means that there may well be compliance gaps if AM is the only solution you rely on.
- In terms of cybersecurity, AM alone might not be enough to prevent malicious insiders or compromised accounts from abusing their access.
Organizations need to combine AM with other tools in the identity security mix to ensure capable identity security. For example, day-to-day AM can work together with privileged access management (PAM): AM handles general user access and PAM is applied to identities with elevated privileges.
Identity governance and administration (IGA) acts as the overarching framework. With IGA, you ensure that AM processes align with broader security policies and regulatory compliance. Think of IGA as the architect who designs identity management, making sure everything follows the policies and security standards.
Of course, a dependable and secure directory service is core to access management. Active Directory (AD) and by extension, AD management (ADM) is the foundation for managing user identities.
Privileged access management
So, PAM is crucial for securing those "keys to the kingdom" accounts, and it’s a key component of identity security. PAM acts as a secure treasury for storing critical credentials that are used by teams to access an organization’s most sensitive accounts.
Furthermore, PAM monitors which users make use of privileged accounts. This session monitoring helps organizations trace access utilization to both monitor for intrusion and respond to compliance demands later. But relying solely on PAM leaves gaps in your overall security posture.
First, PAM is focused on a select slice of access requirements. It is not a comprehensive access management solution as it excels at securing privileged accounts but doesn't address the broader identity and access needs of regular users.
Think of it as securing the crown jewels but leaving the rest of the castle potentially vulnerable. Regular user accounts can also be compromised and abused to cause significant damage. Attackers often target these accounts as stepping stones to gain access to more sensitive systems. Here's how PAM fits in with the other tools:
- Access management: PAM and AM work together to provide layered security. AM handles everyday user access with SSO and MFA, while PAM adds an extra layer of protection for privileged accounts. Think of AM as the outer gate and PAM as the inner vault.
- IGA provides the frame for managing all identities, including privileged ones. It ensures that PAM policies align with overall security and compliance requirements. IGA is the overarching strategy, while PAM is a tactical tool within that strategy.
- ADM, in turn, serves as the single source of truth for identities and privileges that’s used to manage identities across the organization.
PAM is a powerful tool, but it's most effective when integrated with a comprehensive identity management strategy that includes AM, IGA and ADM.
Identity governance and administration
IGA excels at governing identities and entitlements, ensuring the right people have the right access. It focuses on defining roles, managing approvals and enforcing policies.
First, IGA enables lifecycle management of accounts, including provisioning and deprovisioning. It achieves this by connecting to all managed systems and automates onboard and offboarding users
It also responds to access requests, allowing team members to request access to privileges not automatically provisioned, including a process for approvals. Additionally, IGA defines policies such as separation of duties, which prevents users from accumulating a toxic combination of permissions through a certification process to validate who has access to what.
So, IGA sets the rules of the road, but without AM, IGA won’t be able to control access for vehicles. Again, it’s important to combine IGA with the other core identity security tools.
- AM manages the flow of users trying to access applications. IGA might determine who is allowed to access systems, but AM handles the actual authentication and authorization at the application's door, using SSO and MFA to ensure secure access.
- Similarly, PAM provides specialized security for high-risk accounts like administrative accounts. IGA might grant someone access to these accounts, but PAM adds extra security measures e.g. session recording and password vaulting to prevent accidents and misuse.
- Finally, while IGA sets rules and governance, ADM still offers specific tools for creating, modifying, and deleting user accounts and groups within that system.
So, IGA is an overarching framework that sets the stage for proper identity management, but organizations still need AM, PAM and ADM to cover all aspects of access control and security.
AD management
ADM is an essential tool for any organization reliant on AD. ADM provides a more capable, granular management layer on top of Microsoft’s AD. It complements the basic tools provided by Microsoft: offering improved delegation of administration duties compared to AD, which means organizations enjoy more finely grained controls around AD management.
ADM is almost always needed to augment Microsoft AD capabilities, but ADM has limitations when used as the sole identity management solution.
An ADM tool can handle basic authentication and authorization within AD, but it lacks the advanced security features of dedicated solutions. This includes capabilities like MFA, PAM and granular access controls, which are crucial for protecting sensitive data and systems.
Yet ADM helps identify and manage privileged accounts within AD, which then becomes the focus of PAM solutions for enhanced security and monitoring.
It’s also worth noting that ADM alone doesn't provide a comprehensive view of all identities across the organization in the way that IGA does. This can lead to inconsistencies, compliance issues and difficulties in enforcing access policies across different systems and applications.
Tying it all together with unified identity management
The different tools within the identity management toolset are complementary to each other, but it can be tough to integrate these tools into a single whole, which sometimes means that organizations end up becoming custom integrators in a field that isn’t their core expertise.
That’s where a Unified Identity Platform (UIP) comes in. A UIP is an integrated approach that brings together separate tools such as AM, PAM, IGA and ADM. Here's how a UIP adds value:
- Streamlined management: Juggling multiple identity tools is complex and challenging, with the toolbox somehow adding up to less than the sum of its parts. With UIP, organizations integrate core identity services into a single, streamlined identity security solution with one vendor point of contact. Unifying a previously fragmented identity solution substantially improves a company’s cybersecurity posture.
- Enhanced visibility: By consolidating identity-related processes and eliminating identity silos, UIP helps organizations gain complete visibility into identities. It means enabling rigorous verification before granting access to critical assets, as well as swift modification or revocation of permissions.
- Reduced identity sprawl: In consolidating identity data and access controls, a UIP helps prevent identity sprawl, ensuring duplicate or orphaned accounts do not create security vulnerabilities and management headaches.
- Lower TCO: A single solution with one vendor streamlines communication, deepens support expertise and fosters proactive problem-solving. This reduces costs, improves IT productivity and simplifies compliance efforts, ultimately freeing up IT staff to focus on strengthening security posture and mitigating risks.
- Faster time-to-value: Better integration and enhanced security with SSO, MFA and PAM means simplified onboarding and offboarding processes. A UIP ensures users quickly gain access to necessary applications and resources, eliminating productivity barriers caused by fragmented identity environments and ultimately leading to a faster realization of value for both company and employees.
- Improved compliance: UIPs help meet regulatory requirements by providing centralized audit trails, automated reporting and consistent access policy enforcement across all systems and applications.
The journey to unified identity management starts with the recognition of a fragmented state of control, characterized by identity sprawl and isolated tools. Organizations often improve on fragmentation by applying point solutions including AM, PAM, IGA and ADM. Progressing to a managed state involves custom integration for a more cohesive ecosystem.
However, a unified state is only achieved once identity orchestration is performed through a centralized platform: the unified identity platform.
By integrating identity security components, unified identity management provides a comprehensive and cohesive approach to identity and access management, strengthening security, improving efficiency and reducing risk across the organization.
A unified identity security toolbox with One Identity
One Identity's Unified Identity Platform simplifies identity and access management, strengthens security and streamlines IT operations. Gain centralized control, enhance compliance and empower users with a single, integrated solution.
View our take on the need for a unified identity platform, and contact us today to learn more about how the One Identity UIP can transform your organization's identity security posture.
