Most enterprises already “have IAM,” yet still struggle to answer basic questions:
Who has access?
How did they get the access?
What did they do with the access?
Should they still have access?
An example of identity and access management (IAM) is the combination of policies, processes, and tools that control how employees log in to systems such as Oracle ERP, SAP, Workday, Dynamics 365, Salesforce, and Coupa, and what they are allowed to perform once they are logged in.
What does IAM actually do?
Identity and access management is the framework organizations use to manage digital identities and control access to critical systems and data. It covers:
- Account creation and provisioning
- Authentication and single sign-on (SSO)
- Authorization policies for what each identity can do
- Ongoing lifecycle management to update, revoke, or adjust access over time
Instead of every application managing its own logins and permissions, an identity and access management platform centralizes these decisions so security and compliance teams can enforce consistent policies. The goal is simple: only the right people (or systems) can access the right resources at the right time for the right reasons.
Real‑world example of IAM in action
A typical enterprise IAM platform manages how employees access systems such as Dynamics 365, Salesforce, Oracle, SAP, HR platforms, and internal line‑of‑business applications. The platform creates a digital identity for each user, verifies them at login with single sign‑on and multi‑factor authentication, and then enforces what they are allowed to see and do based on their role and policies.
In practice, this kind of identity and access management software usually includes:
- Central directories and lifecycle management to handle onboarding, moves, and leavers
- Authentication services like SSO and MFA to streamline and secure logins
- Authorization policies (often role‑based, increasingly attribute‑ or policy‑based) to control access by job function
- Logging and reporting that show who accessed which application, when, and from where
Most organizations start here because it reduces manual administration, improves user experience, and closes obvious gaps like shared passwords and unmanaged local accounts. Over time, IAM becomes a foundational control for both security and compliance.
Common IAM use cases (and limitations)
For CISOs, internal audit, and finance leaders, IAM is often deployed to solve a familiar set of challenges:
- Verifying user identities and enforcing strong authentication before access to sensitive systems
- Implementing least privilege so access is aligned with roles and business policies
- Automating onboarding and offboarding for timely provisioning and deprovisioning
- Providing basic audit trails to support SOX, ISO/IEC 27001, and other compliance requirements
The challenge is that even with mature IAM, many teams cannot see or govern what happens inside complex systems like ERP and financial applications. IAM can tell you that a user logged into Oracle, but not whether they can both create and approve vendors, release payments, or post journal entries that introduce segregation of duties (SoD) risk. That gap is where identity governance and deeper access controls become essential.
Identity Access Management vs Identity Governance
IAM focuses on authentication and coarse‑grained authorization at the application or environment level: who can log in to which systems under what conditions. It excels at front‑door control, user experience, and basic security hygiene.
Identity governance and administration (IGA) builds on IAM by adding stronger policy controls, access reviews, SoD analysis, and business‑context oversight for entitlements. It helps answer questions like: is this combination of roles appropriate for this user, does it violate SoD policy, who approved it, and should it be removed? For organizations facing recurring audit findings, ERP transformations, or rapid SaaS and AI adoption, that governance layer becomes critical.
How SafePaaS completes your IAM strategy
SafePaaS is designed to complement your existing IAM investments and complete the picture with deep identity governance, fine‑grained access controls, and continuous monitoring across ERP, SaaS, and other business‑critical applications. Where IAM manages the front door, SafePaaS governs what users can actually do inside the house.
On top of your core identity and access management platform, SafePaaS adds:
- Policy‑based access governance that aligns roles and entitlements with business rules and SoD policies across Oracle, SAP, and other core systems
- Fine‑grained, transaction‑ and attribute‑level controls that go beyond coarse application roles to govern high‑risk actions in finance, procurement, supply chain, and HR
- Automated user access reviews, SoD analysis, and remediation workflows that reduce manual effort and help close SOX and internal audit findings faster
- Continuous control monitoring and analytics that surface privilege creep, risky access patterns, and policy violations before they turn into incidents or findings
For CISOs, risk leaders, and finance executives who already run identity and access management software for SSO and MFA, SafePaaS turns that foundation into a governed, policy‑driven control framework. IAM continues to handle login and basic authorization, while SafePaaS ensures the resulting access is appropriate, compliant, and continuously monitored at the level auditors and regulators care about.
If your IAM project has solved login but not audit and access risk, the next step is to look at identity governance. By extending your IAM stack with SafePaaS, you can reduce your identity‑related attack surface and make audits far less painful—without disrupting the tools and processes you already have in place.
Are you ready to see how identity governance can extend your IAM investment? Request a demo to explore how SafePaaS can help in your own environment.
