Modern Identity Governance with SailPoint

# Modern Identity Governance with SailPoint Identity and access management is critical but often poorly implemented. Too restrictive and you kill productivity. Too lenient and you're exposed to security risks and compliance failures. We've implemented SailPoint IdentityIQ and IdentityNow for enterprises across healthcare, finance, and technology. Here's what we've learned about balancing security, compliance, and usability. ## The Core Challenge Every organization faces these tensions: - **Security teams** want strict controls and frequent access reviews - **End users** want frictionless access to tools they need - **Auditors** want clear evidence of who has access to what - **IT** wants automation to reduce manual provisioning work Traditional IAM solutions often satisfy auditors while frustrating everyone else. ## Principles for Effective Identity Governance ### 1. Automate Provisioning Based on Business Logic **Bad**: Submit ticket → wait for approval → manual provisioning → 3-5 days **Good**: New hire enters HR system → access automatically provisioned based on role → ready day one We typically connect SailPoint to: - HR systems (Workday, SAP SuccessFactors) as source of truth - Active Directory and cloud identity providers - Application APIs for direct provisioning ### 2. Risk-Based Access Reviews Don't review everything quarterly. That's noise, not security. **Better approach**: - High-risk access (admin rights, financial systems): Monthly - Medium-risk (standard applications): Quarterly - Low-risk (read-only, department-specific): Annually - Automatically recertify unchanged, low-risk access Reviewers see small, focused lists of access that actually matters. ### 3. Separation of Duties Enforcement Prevent risky combinations before they happen: Example: Can't have both "Create Vendor" and "Approve Payment" in accounting system. SailPoint detects violations and either: - Prevents assignment (hard control) - Requires additional approval (soft control) - Creates exception with expiration date ### 4. Lifecycle Automation Automate the critical transitions: - **Onboarding**: Provision access based on role template - **Transfer**: Remove old access, add new, in one workflow - **Offboarding**: Immediate revocation of critical access, staged removal of others We've seen offboarding delays create serious security risks. Automation fixes this. ## Real Implementation: Healthcare Client A healthcare organization with 5,000 employees and 200+ applications: **Challenge**: - HIPAA compliance requiring access audits - Frequent workforce changes (contractors, per-diem staff) - Mix of cloud and on-prem systems - Previous manual process took 40+ hours quarterly **Solution**: - SailPoint IdentityIQ integrated with Workday, Active Directory, Epic EMR, and 50+ other apps - Role-based access model for 80% of access - Automated access reviews with delegation - Dashboard for compliance team **Results**: - Quarterly access reviews reduced from 40 hours to 6 hours - Provisioning time from 3-5 days to same-day - 100% audit compliance - Zero audit findings for 3 consecutive years ## Common Pitfalls to Avoid **1. Over-engineering roles**: Don't try to model every possible access combination. Start with 10-20 core roles, handle exceptions separately. **2. Ignoring exceptions**: You'll always have exceptions. Build a controlled process for them rather than pretending they don't exist. **3. Big-bang rollout**: Phase implementation by application risk and business unit. Learn and adjust. **4. Forgetting about non-employees**: Contractors, vendors, partners need access too. Don't bolt them on as an afterthought. ## Measuring Success Track these metrics: - **Time to provision**: Average days from request to access - **Orphaned accounts**: Users with access but no longer employed - **Access review completion rate**: % of reviews completed on time - **High-risk access**: Trending up or down - **IT ticket volume**: Provisioning requests should decrease over time ## The Bottom Line Good identity governance is invisible to users but visible to auditors. When done right, it enhances security without slowing down the business. The key is balancing automation with appropriate controls, and choosing technology that can grow with your organization.