Employees, customers, supply chain members, and contractors must have access to digital resources for work. Identity and access management (IAM) or IAM services manage and control the who, what, and when of resource access. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) considers IAM to be a “cornerstone of data protection, privacy, and security.” As such, IAM identifies individuals and manages access to resources based on their identity, thereby protecting sensitive data and other assets.

A history of identity and access management

IAM is not a new idea. Ancient military groups, like the Romans, used “watchwords” to verify trusted individuals and protect boundaries. Fast forward to the 1960s, when computer scientist Fernando Corbató introduced passwords to restrict access to files on early computer systems. That simple mechanism laid the foundation for digital identity.

IAM is not a new idea. Ancient military groups, like the Romans, used “watchwords” to verify trusted individuals and protect boundaries. Fast forward to the 1960s, when computer scientist Fernando Corbató introduced passwords to restrict access to files on early computer systems. That simple mechanism laid the foundation for digital identity.

Before cloud computing, the network perimeter was the ideal way to contain access, and on-premise tools, such as Active Directory, worked well as IAM systems. However, the Internet changed the requirements of IAM. Cloud computing smashed the network perimeter, making it much harder to identify users and control access. Visibility and monitoring became more complex as the network expanded to include BYOD; remote working and internet-enabled devices eventually made identity and access control even more challenging.

Modern IAM solutions are now cloud-native, scalable, and built to support identity federation, user provisioning, zero trust architecture, and automated governance across distributed environments.

Types of identity and access management

Various types of IAM solutions have different use cases. Three of the most common applications of IAM are:

Workforce IAM:

Designed for employees, contractors, and internal teams, workforce IAM solutions offer centralized control over identities, access rights, and authentication methods. Features often include single sign-on (SSO), role-based access, and multifactor authentication (MFA). These systems support remote work, BYOD policies, and hybrid cloud access. Functionality like single sign-on (SSO) is often a part of workforce IAM systems and used to improve employee productivity — with SSO, a single click allows access to multiple digital resources.

Customer IAM (CIAM):

Customer IAM focuses on external identities such as users, subscribers, or buyers. CIAM platforms manage login experiences, consent, and personalization. They also provide analytics for marketing and product insights. CIAM ensures seamless and secure user experiences across apps and digital channels.

Citizen IAM:

Governments must provide online services to citizens. And a government has to know who it’s dealing with in order to facilitate secure access to these services. Many governments onboard citizens to government services using IAM. Citizen IAM uses personal data verification checks before issuing an identity account or access to government services.

Device IAM:

As Internet of Things (IoT) and AI-powered edge devices grow, IAM is also used to manage machine and device identities. Device IAM helps establish trust between services and protect data exchanged between connected systems.

Other types of IAM include device IAM (identity for devices, including IoT [internet of things] and robotics).

Key concepts in identity and access management

IAM provides a range of capabilities, often supplied as part of a holistic IAM solution, that manage the entirety of identity lifecycle management:

Identity Provider (IdP)

IDPs store and manage user identities and handle access requests. An identity comprises the credentials that define an individual (or device). These credentials are sometimes known as authentication factors, claims, or verified credentials. Authentication factors are a mix of:

• Knowledge-based (something you know)

• Something you own (for instance, phone number or hardware token)

• Something you are (for instance, biometric data or a verified identity claim)

When an individual attempts to access digital resources, they will be asked to present one or more of these credentials. If the credentials cannot be verified, access is denied. IdPs play a central role in federated login systems and SSO workflows.

Identity Governance and Administration (IGA)

IGA is a framework that automates user account creation, access provisioning, role management, and deprovisioning. It provides full visibility and control over who has access to what, and why. IGA platforms are used to enforce policies, handle access certification, and meet compliance requirements.

Authentication

Authentication is the process of proving your identity to a system. This can be as simple as a username and password or as advanced as biometric and hardware-based login. Multifactor authentication (MFA) is now a standard best practice to protect against credential theft.

Authorization

Decisions about what resources a user has access to are made using authorization. Authorization sets access privileges once authentication has been successful. Typically, authorization decisions depend on identity attributes, such as your assigned role in an organization. Authorization uses protocols such as OAuth 2.0 to handle authorization.

Privileged access management (PAM)

PAM solutions secure accounts with elevated permissions, such as IT administrators or DevOps engineers. These tools enforce just-in-time access, session monitoring, and the principle of least privilege to reduce risk from insider threats or compromised credentials.

Single sign-on (SSO)

SSO is a scheme that allows users to log into multiple apps and services using a single authentication event. SSO is based on identity federation.

Role-based access control (RBAC)

RBAC bases access to company resources and networks on an employee’s role. All staff roles are assigned access permissions, and employees who perform those role(s) in a company each have the same access rights to network resources.

Identity verification

Verification confirms that a digital identity belongs to a real person. This may involve checking government-issued documents, proof of address, or using a third-party identity verification service. Verified identities are crucial for both CIAM and citizen IAM systems.

Identity protocols

Identity and access management tools use standard protocols to transfer information between the components of an IAM system. The two main protocols used are OpenID Connect (OIDC) and Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML). Examples of large technology providers that support OIDC are AWS Identity and Google. Access to AWS resources can be controlled with an IDP that uses OIDC or SAML.

What is the difference between IAM and access management?

Identity management refers to managing user accounts and credentials. This includes onboarding, offboarding, and identity verification.

Access management is a subset of IAM. Identity management is the part of IAM that controls user identity and verification. Access management controls user access rights and privileges.

How to use Google Workspace for IAM

Google Workspace provides built-in IAM features suitable for startups and mid-sized businesses. These include:

• Centralized user provisioning

• Built-in identity provider (IdP)

• Enforcement of MFA and SSO

• Integration with third-party apps via SAML or OIDC

• Directory synchronization with Active Directory or Azure AD

Admins can set up identity federation to allow seamless login to Google Workspace and approved third-party apps from a single dashboard.

Google Workspace is suitable for small-to-medium-sized organizations, as it provides easy identity provisioning and management of employee accounts. Google Workspace also enforces multifactor authentication and can be used for SSO to control access to applications in the Google Workspace suite: using identity federation, a user can then access multiple Google apps with a single login.

Benefits of using IAM technologies

Implementing IAM delivers both security and operational value. Key benefits include:

Security

IAM enforces strict authentication and limits unauthorized access. It helps protect organizations from phishing, credential stuffing, and insider threats.

Zero trust

IAM is foundational to Zero Trust Architecture where every access request is authenticated, authorized, and encrypted regardless of location or network.Reduces IT overhead

IAM helps implement and enforce policies across the organization.

Reduces IT overhead

IAM automates user onboarding, access requests, and offboarding processes. This reduces manual tasks for IT and security teams.

Improves employee experience and productivity

SSO and passwordless authentication make logging in faster and simpler.

Privacy controls

IAM enforces need-to-know access to sensitive data.

Adherence to regulations and standards

Robust IAM controls help to improve data security and reduce noncompliance events.