Skip to main content

What is IAM?

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a system used to control and manage access to resources in an organization

The goal of IAM is to ensure that the right people have access to the right resources while keeping sensitive information secure

IAM is used to determine who can access resources such as:

  • Software applications
  • Confidential Information
  • Websites

IAM involves:

  • Creating user accounts
  • Assigning permissions
  • Authenticating users
  • Authorizing mechanisms to enforce access controls

WHAT IAM IS NOT

  • A global person store (PPI)
  • A place to access data owned by other domains such as Human Resources and Student Information
  • An intermediary maintaining relationships between other domains
  • An application provisioning framework
  • Network Access Control (NAC)
  • Database access grants