Who accesses what, when, and how? In an information system where employees, service providers, and partners interact, identity management structures access, protects resources and sensitive data, while ensuring regulatory compliance. When properly implemented, it strengthens security, streamlines processes, and enhances the company’s agility. Qim info guides you through its definition, challenges, and best practices to apply.
What is identity and access management?
Identity and Access Management, or IAM, aims to regulate access to an organization’s digital resources. In a hybrid work environment, users access these resources from a wide variety of locations, devices, and networks. It is the responsibility of the IT department to control who accesses what, when, and from which device. IAM makes this control possible, strengthens security, facilitates compliance, and simplifies daily access management.
Definition of IAM
Identity and Access Management encompasses all tools and processes that assign each user or technical entity a unique digital identity, along with access rights defined according to their role within the organization.
It relies on a central repository that manages the entire identity lifecycle: account creation, modification, suspension, deletion, user authentication, and connection logging.
Automating these steps enhances security, relieves IT teams, and ensures compliance with internal policies and applicable standards.
Digital udentity: what are we talking about?
Digital identity refers to all the data that uniquely identifies a user or a system within an IT environment. This concept includes physical persons (employees, partners, service providers), as well as technical identities such as applications or connected devices.
Each identity includes a set of attributes—identifier, email address, certificates, roles, or access rights—used to authenticate the user. This authentication can rely on a password, a physical security key, a temporary code, or a multi-factor authentication (MFA) mechanism. These data must remain reliable, unique, and traceable throughout the identity’s lifecycle.
Difference between identity management and access management
Identity management mainly concerns the creation, updating, and deletion of user accounts, as well as the management of data associated with their identification, such as their position, assigned site, or level of responsibility.
Access management focuses on what each user can do once identified. It defines permissions based on role-based rules, specific authorizations, or contextual criteria (time, device used, location).
An effective IAM solution combines both aspects to manage access in a precise and secure way.
Why is identity and access management essential?
Today, users access the company’s digital resources both from the office and remotely, sometimes even via personal devices. Each person must therefore be able to access the right resources, at the right time, and with the right device. Identity and Access Management enables systematic identity verification at each login and restricts access to authorized individuals only, whether they are employees, service providers, or external partners.
22% of data breaches result from compromised credentials, and 88% of attacks targeting web applications exploit this type of vulnerability.
Source: Verizon DBIR (2025)
To explore this topic further, discover our recommendations for effectively protecting your sensitive information.
Key components of an identity management solution
An identity and access management solution combines several components that interact to secure and optimize the information system. From account creation to access management, each contributes to clear governance and smooth operations.
Provisioning and Deprovisioning of User Accounts
With each arrival, job change, or departure of an employee, the associated accounts must be created, modified, or deleted quickly and securely. The provisioning (creation) and deprovisioning (deletion) processes ensure the automatic updating of access rights according to the employee’s professional evolution.
By relying on data from HR systems, this automation prevents human error, limits the risk of residual access, and ensures responsive management in line with security requirements.
Authentication: securing access without complicating usage
Access management ensures secure connections while maintaining a smooth user experience. To achieve this, several authentication mechanisms can be implemented depending on the level of risk:
- SSO (Single Sign-On), which allows users to log in once to access multiple services;
- MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication), which combines several factors (password + code or biometrics) to secure sensitive access. A common form of MFA is 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication), which relies on two distinct elements;
- Or adaptive authentication, which adjusts the level of control based on context (location, device, time).
The right choice depends on the user profile, the type of data involved, and the expected level of security. The goal remains the same: to secure access while maintaining fluidity and productivity.
To learn more, check out our article: “Two-Factor Authentication: How to Secure Your Online Access?”
Role and access rights management
Assigning the right permissions to the right people relies on proven access control models.
Among them, RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) is widely used: it assigns permissions based on the role held within the organization, making large-scale management easier.
More flexible, the ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control) model refines access rules by taking into account contextual criteria such as location, type of data, or project status.
Other models also exist, such as DAC (Discretionary Access Control), where the data owner defines who can access it, or MAC (Mandatory Access Control), based on strict access policies imposed by the organization. However, RBAC and ABAC remain the most commonly deployed in companies. Their combination allows for the development of an adaptable, consistent access policy aligned with business and regulatory requirements.
Access traceability and auditing
Logging identity-related events, logins, changes in permissions, account creations or deletions—is essential for rigorous access monitoring.
Thanks to the automation of these logs, unusual behavior is more easily detected, incidents are better analyzed, and audit reports are generated with precision.
How to implement an effective IAM strategy
A successful IAM strategy is based on a structured approach, aligned with the company’s needs and adapted to its technological environment. It requires an access audit, the selection of a suitable solution, and its smooth integration with business tools.
Audit existing access and map identities
Before deploying an identity and access management solution, it is essential to inventory existing accounts, identify unnecessary or overly broad access, and detect deviations from best practices. This mapping highlights risks to be addressed and serves as a starting point for automating initial actions. It also facilitates coordination between IT, HR, and business departments.
Choose the right IAM solution
The chosen IAM solution must adapt to the company’s technical environment, cloud, on-premises, or hybrid, while meeting security, compliance, and compatibility requirements with HR and IT systems. It should be easy to deploy, capable of automating the identity lifecycle, and integrate seamlessly with existing tools.
To ensure effective and secure identity and access management, certain features are now essential. Among the most common:
- SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) enables single sign-on across multiple applications, reducing the need for multiple credentials.
- OIDC (OpenID Connect) enhances access security for web and mobile environments by relying on standardized identification protocols.
- SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) automates the user account lifecycle, from creation to deletion.
- MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) adds an extra layer of verification to secure access to sensitive resources.
- Technical Identity Management: accounts linked to scripts, services, or connected devices must be managed with the same level of rigor as human identities.
Integrating IAM into HR and IT processes
Smooth and consistent identity management requires integrating IAM with HR tools (HRIS), ticketing platforms, and collaboration solutions. This connection allows access rights to be automatically adjusted based on key events: hiring, internal mobility, or departure. Access remains aligned with actual needs, without delay or manual intervention, which reduces security risks and strengthens operational agility.
Challenges of identity and access management
Modern information systems must manage a multitude of identities, both human and technical, while ensuring their security, traceability, and compliance. Mastering the account lifecycle, adopting the Zero Trust model, and addressing technical identities are major challenges.
Proliferation of digital identities
With the widespread use of APIs, scripts, bots, and connected devices, non-human identities are increasingly numerous, often outnumbering human users. Integrating them into IAM governance is essential to secure access, comply with standards, improve traceability, and maintain control over the information system.
69% of companies now have more technical identities than human ones, and nearly half have up to ten times more.
Source: SailPoint (2024)
Risks related to neglecting the user lifecycle
An undeleted user account after an employee’s departure represents a security vulnerability. Often overlooked, these inactive accounts escape monitoring and may retain extensive access rights accumulated over time. They can be exploited without the company’s knowledge to access sensitive data or compromise systems.
Automated and rigorous identity lifecycle management reduces this risk by ensuring that every active account is linked to a legitimately authorized person or entity.
IAM and Zero Trust: toward a dynamic access model
The Zero Trust model is based on the principle that no access should be granted by default, even to an authenticated user. Each request is analyzed in real time based on context: identity, device used, location, or behavior.
Identity and Access Management is central to this approach. It provides the data needed to evaluate access, strengthens security, limits lateral movement in case of an attack, and ensures fine-grained control regardless of location or connection method.
To learn more, check out our article: “What Is the Zero Trust Strategy?”
IAM and regulatory compliance
By securing and tracking access, IAM helps organizations meet regulatory requirements. It limits exposure of sensitive data, logs user actions, and demonstrates the company’s commitment to information protection.
Strengthening GDPR compliance
The GDPR requires strict control over access and traceability of personal data. Identity and Access Management limits rights to authorized users only and keeps a record of actions (viewing, editing, deletion). It also enables quick handling of data subject requests, such as access, rectification, or deletion of their data, in accordance with the regulation. By centralizing identities, IAM simplifies governance and enhances the security of personal data.
Facilitating audits and certifications
Standards such as ISO 27001, NIS 2, or SOC 2 require strict and traceable access management. By centralizing identities and logging every action, IAM simplifies report generation, proves alignment between business roles and access rights, and demonstrates organizational compliance. It thus reduces the time and resources needed for audits and certification processes.
Applying the principle of least privilege
The principle of least privilege aims to limit a user’s rights to only the resources necessary for their tasks. This approach reduces the risk of errors or misuse and limits the impact of a potentially compromised account.
In a well-designed IAM architecture, this principle is applied automatically through rules based on roles, attributes, or context, thereby strengthening the security and resilience of the information system.
How does Qim Info Support its clients in identity management?
The IT Operations & Support Services team at Qim Info supports companies in deploying reliable, integrated, and scalable identity and access management solutions. By structuring clear governance and automating processes, our teams strengthen the security of the information system while easing daily operations.
With recognized expertise in IT infrastructure, access rights management, and compliance, we design access environments aligned with your practices, technical constraints, and regulatory obligations.
Would you like to audit your access, improve traceability, or automate your identity lifecycle? Talk to our experts to build a tailored approach.
