A complete guide to Identity Governance and Administration for enterprise security

A growing business is a great thing, but all the promotions, leavers, new starters, contractors, and visitors that it entails can create gaps in your security infrastructure. We call this access sprawl. The consequences can range from administrative inconvenience to serious breaches. 

The proven way to manage access sprawl is Identity Governance and Administration (IGA). This is the framework by which organisations manage, govern, and audit access permissions. When handled correctly, IGA ensures the holy trinity of compliance, security, and efficiency. 

In this article, we’ll explore why IGA is so important, what it entails, its challenges, and best practices. Before we get anywhere, though, we need to get clear on what IGA really means. 

What is Identity Governance and Administration (IGA)? 

IGA consists of the policies, processes, and technologies concerning your organizations’ account holder identities and access rights. In essence, IGA makes sure the right people have access to the right resources – at the right time for the right reasons. To back all that up, IGA includes a bulletproof audit trail. 

It can be broken down into these key focus areas: 

• Governance: Defining access rules, policies, and roles. 

• Administration: Executing and enforcing these rules. 

• Audit and compliance: Reporting for performance for regulatory requirements. 

You might have heard about Identity and Access Management (IAM). IGA is a critical layer within or complementary to a broader IAM strategy. While IAM focuses on authentication and authorization, IGA adds the essential elements including lifecycle management, policy enforcement, and auditability. 

Why IGA matters for enterprise security and compliance 

IGA is foundational to every successful security and compliance operation, delivering countless benefits including: 

• Tighter security: IGA enforces least privilege access. This means account holders have only the minimum access necessary for their job, reducing the attack surface. 

• Reduced insider threat: 73% of organizations reported insider attacks in 2024. IGA’s continuous monitoring and reviews flag deviations and suspicious activity, minimizing risk from insiders. 

• Responsibilities: Auditable evidence of the who, what, and why of your access records makes everyone accountable. 

• Compliance: Comprehensive audit trails are ready for internal and external review at any time, with little to no manual effort and errors. 

• Consistency and visibility: Centralized visibility across systems, sites, and software gives you a top-down view of all activity. 

• Efficiency: With automated system updates and access-related tasks, the whole process is both streamlined and more accurate. 

Key capabilities of an effective IGA solution 

IGA platforms vary based on vendors and your organization’s unique needs, but typically include these essential features: 

Identity Lifecycle Management (ILM) 

A robust IGA solution automates the entire lifecycle of an identity. This includes: 

• Provisioning, which grants access when an account holder joins or changes roles 

• Access change management, which updates permissions as needed 

• Deprovisioning, which revokes all access when an account holder leaves the organization. 

This reduces manual errors and security risks from "orphan accounts". 

Role- and Attribute-Based Access Controls (RBAC/ABAC) 

RBAC simplifies management by defining access based on specific roles (for example, an HR manager) assigned to accounts. 

ABAC provides more granular control based on attributes of the account holder, resource, and environment. For example, an employee in marketing accessing data from a corporate IP during business hours. 

Effective IGA includes tools like role mining to analyze existing permissions and suggest optimal role definitions. 

Access review 

IGA automates periodic review campaigns where business owners check that their account holders' permissions remain appropriate. This ensures that unnecessary or excessive access rights are removed and provides documented proof of review for compliance purposes. 

Policy-based automation 

An IGA solution automates access requests, approval workflows, provisioning, and deprovisioning based on predefined security and business policies. 

This is key for enforcing segregation of duties, which prevents a single account holder from having conflicting permissions that could pose a risk. 

Audit trails 

IGA provides comprehensive logs of all identity and access-related activities, which is stored in a centralized audit trail. This allows for detailed reports for compliance, risk assessment, and forensic analysis. 

Integration 

A leading IGA solution integrates with your internal sources of truth, such as HR or ERP systems. It also integrates with your access control systems to unify security across all access points. 

Self-service 

A good system allows account holders to request access, manage passwords, or update certain attributes themselves, significantly reducing the help desk’s workload. 

Common IGA challenges (and how to overcome them) 

While IGA offers immense value, there can be hurdles to its successful implementation. 

Siloed systems 

If you still use manual spreadsheets or disconnected identity stores, inconsistent policies will cause security gaps. Similarly, if your digital and physical identities aren’t merged, there may be operational inefficiencies and security risks. 

To avoid this, prioritize integration towards a centralized IGA platform that covers both digital and physical access and links to HR systems. 

Role mapping 

Defining consistent and accurate roles for RBAC across global operations can be complex and time-consuming. The key is to start with smaller, high-risk areas and involve business process owners from the beginning. 

Poor visibility 

If you aren’t sure who has access to what, implement centralized reporting to spot and remove dormant accounts or excessive privileges. 

Scalability 

Complex IGA tools aren’t easy to deploy or manage at scale. Instead, prioritise ease of use and strong audit capabilities. Start with a small pilot project and scale gradually using lessons learnt from the original trial. 

Resistance to change 

Some account holders or even business owners may resist new processes. Clear communication, thorough training, and a gradual roll-out help build confidence. 

Best practices for implementing IGA in your organisation 

To make a success of your IGA implementation, follow these best practices: 

• Prioritize: Begin by fully understanding all your identity sources, from employees to contractors. Then, look at your most critical assets and their risks. Prioritize your IGA implementation based on the highest risk areas to achieve early wins and show value. 

• Integrate: Link identity lifecycle events directly from your HR systems to your physical access control systems. Ensure that physical and digital access privileges are governed by the same IGA policies for comprehensive security. 

• Automate: Move away from manual, error-prone spreadsheets. Implement automated workflows for access certifications and immediate deprovisioning when somebody leaves. 

• Copy: Use policy templates (pre-built or your own) for common roles and access types. This will improve both consistency and efficiency across your organization. 

• Log: Maintain audit readiness by logging all identity and access activities in a centralized audit trail. Regularly review compliance reports to identify and address any potential gaps or compliance issues. 

• Educate: Train account holders on the importance of IGA. Actively involve team leads in defining roles and performing access reviews. Their insight is invaluable and their support will determine your success. 

How acre security supports identity governance and administration 

acre security understands that effective Identity Governance and Administration is critical for modern enterprise security. Our solutions support IGA principles by unifying identity lifecycle management, policy enforcement, and audit readiness across access environments. 

Our access control solutions seamlessly integrate with your enterprise identity management systems, extending IGA policies directly to access points. Automated workflows reduce manual errors and critical security risks. Our systems also provide detailed logs of all physical access events, supporting granular audit trails essential for compliance. 

Don’t let bad admin be your weak link 

Identity Governance and Administration is the key to robust enterprise security and compliance, especially in complex environments. 

Incorporating centralized management and easy auditing, IGA helps you address security risks like siloed systems and a lack of visibility. Embracing IGA best practices helps you mitigate threats and achieve constant response-readiness – whether for audits or attacks. 

Don't let access sprawl compromise your security. Contact acre security today to learn how a unified approach to IGA can transform your security.