Suppose you’re a growing company. Then you’ve got a growing Identity & Access Management (IAM) problem–because that happens when you grow. You’ve probably been using a combination of spreadsheets, emails, checklists, and half-remembered procedures to handle onboarding, offboarding, and compliance audits.
Then along comes an IAM vendor who pitches their shiny identity provider service: a vision of IAM nirvana with automated provisioning, de-provisioning, and access requests. All you have to do is sign up and push a couple of buttons. (After you pay them, of course.)
Here’s what the IAM vision looks like:
- One Platform, Seamless Control: Manage all your SaaS applications’ identities and access in a single, centralized IAM platform. No more jumping between different tools or spreadsheets.
- Automated Efficiency: Streamline user access with automated provisioning and de-provisioning across all connected applications. Forget manual tasks and ensure instant access when needed.
- Cost-Effective Security: Secure your SaaS environment without breaking the bank. Expect transparent pricing for essential IAM features like SCIM/SAML support.
Great vision. But according to the customers we’ve talked to, it’s a mirage.
Here’s what IAM reality looked like once they encountered it:
- Fragmented Landscape: Many IAM tools only manage a limited subset of SaaS applications, leaving you with a patchwork of tools and manual processes for the rest.
- Paywalled Integrations: Access to crucial features like SCIM/SAML often requires upgrading to more expensive tiers with your SaaS providers.
- Inconsistent Implementation: Even when available, SCIM/SAML implementations can vary significantly between SaaS providers, causing compatibility issues and integration headaches.
- Manual Mayhem: Unsupported applications force admins to resort to manual workarounds, relying on static documentation and informal communication (emails, Slack, spreadsheets) to manage access, leading to inefficiency and security risks.
So they experience IAMBM – an acronym I just made up for Identity and Access Management Buyer’s Remorse. Automating a chaotic, uncontrolled, disorderly process does not make it harmonious, controlled, or orderly. You replace a messy manual mess with a messy automated mess.
Bill Gates said it right: “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”
Shifting the Paradigm
Consider orchestration before automation. YeshID’s orchestration lets you capture and organize your tasks in playbooks. As you organize your activities–in one place, with a single source of truth–you can automate when it’s cost-effective, convenient, and technically feasible. You can integrate manual processes, partly automated processes, and completely automated processes using a single interface. Orchestration lets you delegate tasks, follow up, and distribute work without losing visibility and control.
Orchestration will make your IAM activities transparent, orderly, distributed, and more secure.
IAM is about people, not just technology. Don’t fall into the automation trap. By empowering your team and focusing on clear, trackable processes, you can achieve secure and efficient access management without the “buyer’s remorse” hangover.
Try YeshID
Let YeshID be your partner in keeping your identity and access management realm simple, effective, and secure. Get YeshID Onboard for free and start today.
