Identity Governance & Administration (IGA): The right resource for the right person at the right time.
Digital resources require secure and straightforward access controls, from the first day of work through to departure. As part of Identity & Access Management (IAM), Identity Governance & Administration (IGA) ensures that only the rights that are required are granted and retained. This makes identities and permissions transparent and practical to manage.
#Modern Work #Security Awareness #Security Risk Assessment
Access rarely takes place in just one location. It spans Active Directory, Microsoft 365, business applications, cloud platforms and often systems managed directly by business departments. Manual access-control processes are risky and frequently lead to delays and a lack of transparency. When permissions are subsequently granted through tickets, email or Excel, it quickly becomes difficult to maintain an overview.
At the same time, compliance and governance requirements are increasing. Standards such as ISO 27001[i] and regulatory requirements such as NIS2[ii] demand traceable processes, regular reviews and complete documentation of access rights. Audits become costly when organisations must reconstruct after the fact who received which access, when and why. IGA provides not only security, but also precisely this evidence.
Management instead of exception handling
IGA[iii] is part of modern Identity & Access Management (IAM)[iv]. It enables identities, roles and permissions to be managed and controlled centrally. An IGA solution supports the entire user lifecycle: joining the organisation, changing roles within it and leaving. In practice, these are often referred to as Joiner, Mover and Leaver processes: new employees receive precisely tailored access; employees changing roles relinquish rights they no longer need; and those leaving the organisation have their access removed consistently and without delay.
In day-to-day work, such a solution ensures that the necessary access is available. In practical terms, this means automated access requests with approval processes (Entitlement Management), role-based authorisation models, regular recertification to review existing access, and traceable revocation whenever a task ends, an employee changes department or an employment relationship expires.
This gives companies transparency across all permissions. It simplifies audits, reduces excessive access rights and turns governance into a continuous process rather than an annual state of emergency.
Who may access what, when and where?
Many companies do not know exactly who can access which systems and data. Permission structures that have grown over many years, new applications and organisational changes can cause access rights to no longer reflect a person’s actual responsibilities. Existing permissions are often not consistently removed when roles change. As a result, employees accumulate additional access rights over time that they no longer need. Two typical examples are young talents who rotate through several departments and people who relinquish management responsibilities. The result is more administrative effort, a larger attack surface and more questions during audits.
Responsibilities are often unclear as well. It may not be clearly defined who owns an application, who may approve access or who must carry out regular reviews. Recertification then remains fragmented, and individual systems are left outside the Joiner, Mover and Leaver processes.
Identities are the new target
Cyberangriffe konzentrieren sich zunehmend auf digitale Identitäten. Statt technische Schwachstellen auszunutzen, versuchen Angreifer mit Phishing oder dem Diebstahl von Zugangsdaten legitime Benutzerkonten zu kapern. Eine moderne IGA-Lösung unterstützt deshalb konsequent das Least-Privilege-Prinzip und gewährt so viel Zugriff wie nötig und so wenig wie möglich.
IGA allein reicht jedoch nicht. Identitäten müssen nicht nur verwaltet, sondern auch laufend geschützt werden - unabhängig davon, ob sich jemand im Unternehmensnetzwerk, im Homeoffice oder in der Cloud anmeldet. Genau hier greifen Identity Security Services: Sie kombinieren IAM und IGA mit kontinuierlicher Überwachung, erkennen missbräuchliche Nutzung frühzeitig und schliessen die Lücke zwischen Berechtigungsvergabe und tatsächlichem Verhalten.
All necessary access from day one
IGA helps organisations provide the right resources to the right people at the right time. When all required access rights, applications, Teams channels and mailboxes are available on the first day, starting a new job becomes a positive experience. Clear processes also matter in everyday work: anyone who needs access submits a traceable request. The approver makes a decision based on role, risk and responsibility, not intuition. The real added value is created not only in IT, but in the operational business: employees become productive more quickly, waiting times decrease and processes become more efficient.
Ideally, good access governance is barely noticeable. Poor access governance becomes apparent immediately: during onboarding, in an audit or when a security incident occurs.
The tenfold IGA platform and holistic IAM with UMB
UMB uses tenfold as its preferred IGA platform. This Austrian product stands apart from traditional IGA solutions through its modern no-code approach and enables the rapid introduction of identity-governance processes. It reduces the need for complex custom development while retaining sufficient flexibility for customer-specific requirements.
Tenfold covers the entire IGA landscape, from User Lifecycle Management, Entitlement Management and recertification to role, profile and Segregation of Duties (SoD) concepts. Numerous standard integrations make it easy to connect systems such as Microsoft 365, Active Directory and a range of HR and ITSM solutions. An API is available for individual requirements. SoD is more than a compliance buzzword: it prevents critical combinations, such as request and approval or the booking and verification of permissions, from being controlled by a single person.
UMB is your partner for IAM and IGA
UMB connects IGA with the other components of IAM: the identity provider (Microsoft Entra ID or Active Directory), Privileged Access Management and Identity Security Services from the Cyber Defense Center. Customers receive more than software. They gain a partner who brings strategy, implementation and operations together.
Do you know where potential security and compliance gaps exist in your company? Are all systems integrated into your Joiner, Mover and Leaver processes, or are individual applications still managed manually by business departments?
An initial assessment reveals where transparency is lacking, where excessive permissions arise and where governance is already effective. On this basis, processes can be automated, roles refined and recertification designed to work in everyday operations.
Arrange a no-obligation consultation with us or explore tenfold in an interactive demo, including its features and integrations.
[i] ISO 27001 Certification Switzerland
[ii] NIS2 Richtlinie | Insight CH (German)
