IGA

AI & ML in Access Governance: Separating Hype from Reality TL;DR Every IGA vendor’s marketing deck promises the same thing: “AI-powered access governance!” “Machine learning automates role mining!” “Intelligent recommendations eliminate manual reviews!” The slides are beautiful. The demos are impressive. The ROI calculator shows 80-90% reduction in manual work. And then you deploy it. The marketing was compelling. The reality? Let’s just say it’s nuanced. Machine learning absolutely helps with access governance....

Enterprise / Large — Post E2 (IGA) Focus: Continuous identity assurance — governance, audit evidence, and resilience at enterprise scale. Previous: Post E1 covered Platform-First IAM (IdP + PAM + CIEM as your unified identity control plane). TL;DR Enterprise governance isn’t about quarterly reviews — it’s about continuous verification. This post shows how to move from periodic certifications to real-time, automated assurance that satisfies auditors, regulators, and security teams....

Mid-Market — Post M2 (IGA) Focus: Turning governance from a once-a-year scramble into an automated, continuous process—reviews, SoD, and evidence collection made practical. Previous: Post M1 covered Joiner-Mover-Leaver automation and lifecycle control. TL;DR Your lifecycle is automated. People get accounts when they should, lose them when they leave. Now it’s time to prove it. This stage is about: Automating access reviews and SoD (Segregation of Duties) checks Logging every access change and certification Generating audit-ready evidence without extra headcount Mapping governance to NIST, SOC 2, and ISO 27001 controls 1....

Startup / Small — Post S2 (IGA) Focus: Building lightweight governance habits—reviews, documentation, and accountability—without enterprise IGA tools. Previous: Post S1 covered IAM setup (MFA, JML, SSO, and offboarding). TL;DR Startups don’t need full-blown IGA systems to practice governance. You just need a repeatable rhythm—review who has access, record it, and act on changes. With nothing more than spreadsheets, automation tools, and discipline, you can meet audit, investor, or SOC 2 expectations while staying lightweight and affordable....

Series format: Three levels × two posts each. Post 1 (per level) = IAM — access, SSO, MFA/passkeys, device/risk checks, lifecycle (JML), SCIM, and PIM/JIT. Post 2 (per level) = IGA — access reviews/certifications, SoD, policy, audit evidence, and continuous assurance. Why this series—and why now Identity work breaks when teams buy governance before they stabilize access, or when they over-index on a single vendor instead of designing for outcomes and clean handoffs....