How to Get IAM Right

Identity and Access Management is no longer optional. Here’s how to build a strategy that actually works.

Across every industry, organizations are increasingly dependent on a growing number of systems, cloud-based applications, and connected devices to run day-to-day operations. What ties all these digital assets together? Digital identities.

Digital identities serve as the backbone of modern IT infrastructure. They define how users, applications, and devices interact with systems, data, and each other. Whether it’s a remote employee logging in from a personal device, a customer accessing their account through a mobile app, or a third-party system integrating via an API, each interaction relies on a trusted digital identity,

That’s were identity and access management (IAM) comes in. IAM allows organizations to manage and secure these identities – making sure the right individuals and systems have access to the right resources at the right time, and for the right reasons. It plays a key role in strengthening security, improving compliance, and also streamlining user experiences.

As the need for secure and scalable identity management grows, so does the market. Industry projections estimate that the global IAM market will grow from increase from USD 22.9 billion in 2024 to USD 34.3 billion by 2029, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4%.  

Clearly, the need is there, but implementing IAM successfully is rarely straightforward.

Many organizations set out with the right intentions, only to find themselves navigating a maze of fragmented access controls, conflicting policies, and poor user experiences. IAM projects that lack proper planning can lead to inconsistent enforcement, user friction, audit failures, and security vulnerabilities.

So how do you get started with IAM in a way that’s actually effective?

It starts by understanding the core capabilities IAM must offer, the common challenges organizations face, and what it takes to get it right.

The Core Capabilities of IAM

A successful IAM program typically includes these key elements:

• Centralized identity governance – Manage all identities, human and machine, from a single source of truth. This improves visibility, simplifies audits, and strengthens control over access policies.
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) – Enforce strong authentication while simplifying the user experience with one-click access across systems.
• Lifecycle management – Automate provisioning and de-provisioning as employees join, move, or leave. This ensures access is always current and aligned with a user’s role.
• Role-based and attribute-based access controls (RBAC/ABAC) – Make dynamic, context-aware access decisions based on user roles, locations, device health, risk score, or other attributes.
• Privileged access management (PAM) – Limit and monitor access to high-value systems to protect against insider threats and privilege misuse.
• Support for machine identities – As IoT, bots, and APIs become integral to business operations, organizations must treat machine identities with the same rigor as human ones.  

IAM Challenges Facing Organizations

1. Identity Sprawl from Digital Growth

Every new app, device, and user role adds complexity to your identity landscape. Whether you’re a hospital onboarding new clinicians, a manufacturer deploying IoT sensors on the factory floor, or a retailer adding Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS), each touchpoint brings a new identity to manage.

Without a centralized IAM strategy, identity sprawl leads to inconsistent access policies, increased attack surfaces, and slower operations.  

How to overcome it: Consolidate identity sources and implement centralized governance. This brings consistency, visibility, and enables automation across your environment.

2. Integrating AI Technologies

AI is reshaping sectors from fraud detection in finance to personalized shopping assistants in retail to diagnostic tools in healthcare. But every AI system, bot, or machine learning model is also an identity that needs proper oversight.

How to overcome it: Choose IAM solutions built to manage machine identities and integrated with your security operations to detect anomalies in automated behavior.

IAM must extend to non-human identities by ensuring:

• Access is granted based on least privilege
• Activity is logged and monitored
• APIs are secured and managed
• Machine identities are tracked and reviewed

3. Meeting Rising User Expectations

Whether it’s employees, customers, or partners, users expect fast, seamless, and secure access. Clunky login experiences, repeated MFA prompts, and slow approval processes push users toward risky workarounds and shadow IT.

How to overcome it: Balance user convenience with security by prioritizing IAM solutions that are user-friendly, mobile-ready, and tailored for remote or hybrid work environments.  

Modern IAM can improve both security and user experience with:

• SSO across enterprise and cloud apps
• Adaptive MFA that responds to context and risk
• Self-service options for password resets and access approvals

4. Keeping Up with Expanding Regulations

With data privacy and access controls growing scrutiny, frameworks like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOX, and GDPR demand more visibility and governance. A failed audit or compliance gap can mean steep penalties and reputational damage.

How to overcome it: Implement IAM with built-in reporting, policy management, and integration with your broader governance, risk, and compliance tools.

IAM supports compliance by enabling you to:

• Enforce least privilege across users and systems
• Generate real-time audit logs and reports
• Set access controls by geography, department, or risk level
• Demonstrate policy enforcement to regulators and auditors

How to Get IAM Right

Building a successful IAM program takes more than implementing a tool. Here are five foundational steps to guide your approach:

1. ‍Start with a strategy, not just software: Align IAM efforts with your broader digital transformation goals. Think about how identity supports remote work, cloud adoption, and customer experience.‍
2. Conduct an identity inventory: Identify all users, apps, devices, APIs, and endpoints. Look for access gaps, orphaned accounts, and outdated permissions.
3. ‍Standardize and automate processes: Streamline access requests, approvals, and onboarding across departments using automation to reduce friction and human error. ‍
4. Make IAM a shared responsibility: Bring in HR, security, operations, and business teams to define clear roles for policy creation, governance, and compliance.‍
5. Invest in scalable IAM: Look for tools that support hybrid cloud, Zero Trust models, and AI-powered threat detection so your IAM can grow with you

How Concord Can Help You

Whether you’re enabling remote work, deploying AI tools, or navigating complex regulations, a strong IAM foundation is essential. At Concord, we help organizations design and implement IAM programs that are scalable, secure, and aligned with business goals. From consolidating identity sources to automating access governance, our experts work with you to reduce risk, improve user access, and build a more resilient digital infrastructure.

Ready to take control of your identity landscape? Let’s talk.

FAQs

1. What is Identity and Access Management (IAM) and why is it critical for enterprises?
   IAM is a framework of policies and technologies that ensures the right individuals have appropriate access to enterprise resources. It is critical because it protects sensitive data, reduces security risks, and enables efficient user management across complex environments.
2. What are the common challenges companies face when implementing IAM?
   Common challenges include integrating IAM with diverse systems, managing user lifecycle and permissions at scale, maintaining security without disrupting user experience, and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.
3. How can ConcordUSA help improve IAM strategy and execution?
   ConcordUSA provides expert guidance to design scalable IAM frameworks tailored to your business needs. We assist with integration, automation, governance, and ongoing management to enhance security, simplify operations, and ensure compliance.
4. What best practices should be followed to get IAM right from the start?
   Key best practices include defining clear roles and access policies, enforcing least privilege, using multi-factor authentication, automating provisioning and deprovisioning, and regularly reviewing access rights.
5. How does IAM contribute to regulatory compliance and audit readiness?
   IAM helps ensure that access to sensitive data is properly controlled and documented, supporting compliance with regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and SOX. It also facilitates audit readiness by providing clear access logs and enforcement of security policies.