Identity Governance Maturity: Assessing Where Your Organisation Stands
Identity and access management represents a critical security capability, yet many organisations struggle to assess whether their IAM implementation is truly effective. Identity governance maturity models provide a framework for evaluation, revealing gaps and priorities for improvement.
The Five Maturity Levels
Level 1: Ad-Hoc – Identity management occurs reactively through manual processes. No centralised directory, inconsistent authentication methods, and access provisioned through email requests create security gaps and administrative burden. Many small organisations operate at this level until a security incident forces change.
Level 2: Basic – Centralised directory exists, typically Active Directory or Azure AD. Single sign-on may be implemented for some applications. However, provisioning remains largely manual, access reviews happen irregularly if at all, and privileged access lacks proper controls.
Level 3: Defined – Formal IAM processes exist with documented procedures. Automated provisioning reduces manual effort. Regular access reviews identify inappropriate access. Privileged access management provides some oversight of administrative accounts. Most mid-sized organisations target this level.
Level 4: Managed – Comprehensive automation handles joiner/mover/leaver processes. Role-based access control simplifies permission management. Continuous certification ensures access remains appropriate. Analytics identify anomalous behaviour. Risk-based authentication adapts to threat levels.
Level 5: Optimised – IAM fully integrates with business processes. Predictive analytics prevent security issues before they occur. Self-service capabilities empower users whilst maintaining security. Continuous improvement processes refine IAM capabilities based on metrics and business needs.
Assessing Your Current State
Honest assessment requires examining several dimensions. How are user accounts provisioned and deprovisioned? Can you demonstrate who has access to what resources? How quickly can you revoke access when employees leave? What controls govern privileged access? How do you detect compromised credentials?
Common gaps include privilege creep where users accumulate unnecessary access over time, orphaned accounts from departed employees that remain active, inconsistent authentication across applications, and limited visibility into who accessed what and when.
Creating Your Roadmap
Improvement requires a practical roadmap addressing people, processes, and technology. Quick wins might include implementing automated deprovisioning, establishing regular access reviews, or deploying multi-factor authentication. Longer-term initiatives could involve comprehensive lifecycle automation or advanced analytics.
The Business Case
Higher IAM maturity delivers measurable benefits: reduced security incident frequency and impact, decreased administrative overhead freeing IT resources, improved compliance demonstration, and enhanced user productivity through better access experiences.
Expert Assessment
altIAM's DART methodology provides comprehensive IAM maturity assessment, revealing gaps and creating practical roadmaps for improvement. Our approach ensures solutions fit your organisation rather than forcing rigid frameworks.
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