Understanding IGA Tools and Their Key Role in Cybersecurity

Every organization with an IT infrastructure understands that Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) tools are critical components in an overall cybersecurity strategy. However, many organizations do not have a clear idea of what is an IGA tool, how they work, and what their specific role is in driving business value within a broader cybersecurity strategy. To get the most value from IGA tools, it is vital to understand how they assist in identity management, controlling access to sensitive data and applications, and enforcing organization-wide security policies. Using cloud-based IGA systems provides immediate advantages and benefits for your organization. These tools help security analysts, cybersecurity engineers, and IT security managers improve cybersecurity posture, create more streamlined identity management processes, drive a dramatic reduction in the risk of unauthorized access, enhance regulatory compliance, and establish better overall governance of user identities and roles.

To fully realize these benefits, it is crucial to understand the relationship between IGA tools and Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems. For example, how IGA tools enhance IAM tools and provide a governance layer focused on identity lifecycle management and access certification to help IAM professionals improve role-based access controls (RBAC) and mitigate security risks.

In this post, we’ll explore specific IGA tool features and capabilities, such as user provisioning, role management, access reviews, auditing, and reporting capabilities. You’ll learn why these functionalities make IGA tools essential in a security framework and which identity governance and access management tools are most effective in various organizational contexts.

Senior executives responsible for overseeing cybersecurity and IT operations at the strategic level will see how IGA tools, when integrated into an organization’s overall cybersecurity strategy are critical to safeguarding sensitive information, reducing insider threats, preventing data breaches, and ensuring proper access control in multi-cloud or hybrid environments.

We’ll also provide insight into best practices on how to overcome challenges and implement cybersecurity IGA tools within your organization. You will learn about the practical steps required to integrate IGA security tools with your existing systems, ensure proper alignment with security policies, and maximize the efficiency and security benefits they offer.

What are IGA Tools?

IGA tools help organizations manage and control access to sensitive systems, applications, and data by overseeing identity and access lifecycle management.

Key Features of IGA Tools

Identity Lifecycle Management

IGA tool functionality includes automating the creation and the updating and removal of user identities. When a new employee joins, IGA tools help set up their digital identity and grant them appropriate access rights based on their role. When employees change roles, the tools adjust their access permissions, ensuring they only have access to resources needed for their new role. When someone leaves, their access is quickly revoked to reduce risk.

Access Management and Automated Provisioning

IGA tools work with access management systems to ensure that users only have the access they need to do their jobs. By integrating with identity sources like Active Directory, cloud platforms, and on-premises systems, IGA tools automate user provisioning and de-provisioning.

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Policy Enforcement

IGA tools simplify access control by assigning access permissions based on users’ roles across the organization (RBAC). They also enforce policies for privileged users and manage exceptions to ensure that any deviations from standard policies are properly logged, approved, and reviewed.

Access Request and Workflow Management

Users can also leverage IGA tools by requesting access to resources through self-service portals. This helps streamline the access request and approval process, provides accountability, and minimizes bottlenecks. Also, since users and approvers can do everything they need through this portal, the tool reduces Help Desk calls and tickets.

Access Reviews and Certification

IGA tools also automate regular access reviews and make it easier for managers and auditors to review and certify who has access to what resources. These tools provide detailed reports, highlight irregular or unnecessary access rights, and help with meeting compliance requirements.

Separation of Duties (SoD)

The organization must consider that as roles change, access rights must also change. For example, a third-party outsourced IT engineer has ‘write’ privileges on a database that contains files with proprietary corporate information. If that person changes roles, they likely need access to new systems, new files, and new data. IGA tools analyse role assignments and access privileges to prevent users from accumulating excessive or conflicting privileges that could lead to security risks or fraud.

Integrations with Other Security Tools

IGA tools frequently integrate with other IAM systems to correlate identity data with security incidents. This integration enables more effective monitoring and response to potential security threats by providing a comprehensive view of user activity and access patterns across the environment.

The Evolution of IGA Tools and Identity Governance Fabric

Identity management and governance tools have evolved from manually operated and in-house grown systems to highly automated solutions purpose-built to meet needs beyond traditional on-premises environments. Today’s full-featured IGA tools work in on-premises, cloud-based, and hybrid environments. They offer configurability, adaptability, and connectivity that enables them to create an Identity Governance Fabric that pulls together all IAM tools. In addition, IGA tools feature new technologies like machine learning and Generative AI to make IAM systems scalable and future proof.

The Importance of IGA Tools in Cybersecurity

IGA tools enforce access controls, monitor user activities, and detecting anomalies to reduce risk from internal sources. Here’s how:

Enforce the Principle of Least Privilege

RBAC ensures users only have access to resources essential for their role and reduces the risk of overpermissioned access to sensitive information. IGA tools also support Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC), where additional factors like location, time, and department are considered to restrict access further.

Automate Access Provisioning and De-provisioning

IGA tools automate the onboarding and offboarding processes to mitigate the risk of unauthorized access after a user’s employment status changes. Also, when user attributes change, the IGA tool is automatically triggered to update permissions in real time based on the new role.

Monitor User Activity and Detects Anomalies

IGA tools log all access activity and provide detailed audit trails for who accessed what and when to spot unusual patterns that could signal malicious insider activity.

Facilitate Access Reviews and Certifications

IGA tools facilitate periodic reviews of users’ access rights to prevent privilege creep, where users accumulate access rights over time. IGA tools also generate reports for access audits to make it easier to identify and remove unnecessary privileges before they become a risk.

Monitor Conflicting Access Rights

Separation of Duties (SoD) functionality enables the division of tasks to ensure that no single individual has control over all aspects of any critical process and limit opportunities for mistakes or intentional wrongdoing. IGA tools prevent users from obtaining access rights that would allow them to perform conflicting actions to reduce the risk of fraud and unauthorized access and maintain tighter control and visibility into high-risk access combinations.

Integrate with PAM and SIEM

Modern IGA tools integrate with Privileged Access Management (PAM) systems on password vaulting, session monitoring, and real-time oversight to manage high-level access and enhance security for higher risk privileged users who pose a higher risk. Modern IGA tools integrate with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to provide real-time monitoring and alerts on user access anomalies.

Educate Users

Self-service portals enable users to manage their access rights and reduce the risk of insider threats encourage by showing users policy reminders and helping foster a security-conscious culture.

IGA Tools Support Compliance with Regulatory Requirements

IGA tools automate access management, maintain detailed audit logs, enforce least privilege and SoD, and provide access reviews and reporting capabilities. This combination of functionality enables organizations to meet regulatory standards (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, NIS2) efficiently, reduce the risk of fines, and maintain a secure and compliant environment.

How Modern IGA Tools Drive Organization-wide IAM Integration

Omada’s modern IGA solution, Omada Identity Cloud, uses connectivity and interoperability to reduce complexities in IAM systems. This IGA-as-a-service platform offers the intelligent automation, real-time visibility, and rapid deployment required to make IGA the cornerstone of Governance for Identity Fabric. This solution extends identity governance to any application including third-party applications and mobile devices to create a frictionless experience. Omada Identity Cloud enables users to configure IGA tools to any number of applications to create a Governance for Identity Fabric with minimal effort and with no custom coding. Centralized management and governance unify information from the security landscape through bi-directional context exchange to improve the visibility of risk and compliance and create an identity-first security posture that meets stricter privacy and security requirements. Organizations can leverage these intelligence improvements into decision automation that removes time-intensive human decision-making and enables zero-trust initiatives. As an organization’s identity fabric gathers intelligence, it enables more robust identity analytics and optimizes cross-functional team structures, resulting in continuous performance improvements.

Governance for Identity Fabric addresses cases that traditional and even modern IAM struggle to manage in the threat landscape of today’s IT infrastructures. For SIEM and PAM tools, Governance for Identity Fabric provides continuous observability across all environments to surface additional information for the user. It bolsters PAM even more by synchronizing with the IGA product who is the account owner, who is the manager authorized to make a request, and who is defined as a delegate. It provides continuous and automated certification for lifecycle management and ownership of external roles and policies. Users can leverage third party data to help simplify decision making and externalize data to help connected solutions manage policies, roles, and entitlements. Governance for Identity Fabric enables composable, orchestrated frameworks to manage workflows and adaptive, continuous auditing and provisioning.

Implementing IGA Tools Best Practices

For all organizations, IGA tools best practices address three business value drivers:

1. Compliance – this is the key driver for regulated industries that must document compliance
2. Efficiency – this is the key driver for non-regulated industries that must onboard applications and ensure timely access to many identities
3. Security – this is a prerequisite for all organizations to ensure transparency and control of exactly who’s allowed to access what and when

Many organizations struggle with best practices to keep track of compliance and stay in control of security requirements in the face of continuous business demands to onboard new applications. Maintaining control, managing risk, and ensuring compliance without restraining business efficiency and collaboration is an ongoing challenge. Consider your organization’s move towards cloud applications and its needs for remote user access as well as your plans for merging outside infrastructures into your existing IT environments. It is critical to select an IGA tool that best serves your organizational needs and IT infrastructure. Modern IGA solutions are based on zero-trust security principles, and Omada Identity Cloud also provides an automated implementation of business workflows and processes that enable efficiency.

Common challenges to successful IGA tool implementation and best practices for addressing them include:

1. Data migration: To overcome this challenge, first determine which applications and data are suitable for migration. Identify all the components that will be affected by the move, including applications, databases, servers, hardware, and network devices. Determine if your migration must involve advanced techniques such as middleware, integration platforms, custom APIs, and data mapping and whether a single or multi-cloud migration is right for you.
2. User adoption: Orient all users to the new environment to ensure they can effectively adapt and work in it with minimal challenges.
3. Integration with existing systems: Determine if your systems are cloud-ready and if not, figure out how you will need to modify or rebuild them to fit into a cloud environment.
4. Training and support: Ensure you have the necessary expertise to perform a successful migration. You might need to spend time and effort hiring a professional or cloud migration provider with the required skills.
5. Budget constraints: Before starting, establish a real-world assessment of the costs associated with migration planning and execution, licensing, and infrastructure as well as maintenance costs.

Use Cases for IGA Tools

Here are scenarios where an IGA tool like Omada Identity Cloud can significantly improve security and compliance postures for highly regulated industries.

IGA Tools in the Financial Services Industry

Regulatory compliance, data security, and operational efficiency in the financial industry are critical. Here is how Omada Identity Cloud takes on these challenges:

1. Automates access certifications, audit trails, and reporting that enable compliance with regulations like SOX, GDPR, and industry-specific mandates such as GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) and FFIEC guidelines.
2. Centralizes role-based access control (RBAC) and risk-based access management tools helps manage and monitor access for thousands of employees, contractors, and third parties in this highly sensitive environment.
3. User provisioning and deprovisioning automation to facilitate frequently onboarding of external vendors and temporary staff to reduce security risks.
4. When integrated with PAM systems, Omada Identity Cloud offers a unified view of both privileged and standard user access to protect high-risk targets from attacks.
5. Simplifies the process of access certification for financial regulators by providing automated workflows for managers to ensure only authorized personnel
6. Enforces SoD policies in financial firms to prevent conflicts of interest, such as an employee having access to both initiating and approving transactions.
7. Self-service portals and automated workflows in Omada Identity Cloud allow users to request access, make changes, and receive approvals faster to improve employee productivity.
8. Provides detailed logs and historical data on user access and works with SIEM to correlate access events with other security alerts to help financial firms perform the forensic analysis needed to trace user activities and determine root causes of anomalies quickly.
9. Enhanced data governance helps financial firms protect sprawling data environments with sensitive customer data by restricting access to sensitive data based on user roles and responsibilities.

IGA Tools in the Healthcare Sector

Omada Identity Cloud plays a vital role in the healthcare industry by managing access to sensitive patient data, ensuring regulatory compliance, and securing critical systems. Here is how:

1. Helps automate HIPAA compliance by providing secure access control, automated access reviews, and audit logs.
2. RBAC enforcement for healthcare workers ensures that only authorized personnel have access to specific patient data based on their roles, such as nurses, doctors, or administrative staff to minimize unauthorized access and enhances patient data security.
3. Addresses security-related issues with high staff turnover at healthcare institutions by automating the provisioning and deprovisioning process for new and temporary staff.
4. Manages and monitors access for third-party vendors (e.g., billing providers, labs, IT support) by providing secure, time-bound, and role-based access for external partners to prevent potential exposure to patient data.
5. Provides stricter enforcement of access policies, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), regular access reviews, and monitoring to reduce data breach risk and privileged account abuse for administrators, IT personnel, and healthcare executives.
6. Automated access certification processes ensures that healthcare managers and staff have appropriate access to systems and data to satisfy compliance regulations while improving security.
7. Facilitates dynamic access adjustments in emergency situations (e.g., during a pandemic or critical patient care incident) to enable healthcare staff to get immediate access to additional systems or data temporarily, while capturing all activities for later review.
8. Secures access to medical devices by enabling role-based control and monitoring of who has access to IoT-enabled devices. This reduces exposure to potential cyber threats and unauthorized access and ensures compliance with device security standards.
9. Delivers strict data governance and access control and ensures that only authorized personnel have access to clinical research data. Role-based access can be customized based on research roles using role mining, while automated provisioning ensures that data is only accessible when required.
10. SoD policies identify and prevent conflicting access rights. Automated workflows and alerts notify compliance officers about potential SoD violations, allowing healthcare organizations to maintain policy adherence and reduce fraud risks.
11. Self-service access request portals enable healthcare employees to request access to applications or data through automated workflows that route these requests to the appropriate approvers, streamlining approvals and reducing the administrative burden on IT teams.
12. Audit logs and visibility into user access history enable security teams perform forensic analysis during investigations and quickly trace the cause and determine who accessed sensitive data.
13. Data access governance restricts access to sensitive patient information based on user roles and responsibilities, ensuring only those who need access to patient data can see it.

The Future of IGA tools and Their Role in IAM and Security Automation

Automated access and audit controls are fundamental to all cybersecurity. Hackers can’t steal data if they can’t gain access and stopping this is at the core of what IGA tools do. Modern IGA tools continue to evolve with the development of cloud-based architectures and remote work environments.

The AI-powered automation and predictive analytics for proactive threat detection offered by leading modern IGA tools ensure that these solutions enable seamless scalability to any IT environment.

As organizations work to implement a true mature Zero Trust Security Model, a scalable modern IGA solution must underpin the advanced security frameworks needed to meet this challenge.

Conclusion

Implementing modern IGA tools today is critical for any organization that wants to improve security, compliance, and efficiency.

Omada is the leading IGA solution trusted by top enterprises and organizations around the globe. We help clients scale their operations while ensuring all security, compliance, and efficiency needs are met. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you grow your business today.