Is Light IGA Right for Your Organization?

Bit by bit, over the past 80 years, from the ENIAC to the smartwatch, our computing power has increased while our technology has gotten smaller and lighter. While the very first computer was a 300 sq ft behemoth, it had no internal memory and required 150kw of electricity to calculate 5,000 simple calculations per second. Today, a precocious toddler with an iPhone (at trillions of operations per second) can mash a few buttons to navigate to a virtual storefront and order a boatload of bananas to be delivered to your front door without even knowing how to read.

Kids these days, am I right?

The rate of technological change is faster than ever, and along with all these rapid-fire changes have come some serious challenges for IT security teams. With the ENIAC, your vulnerability ended at the door, but today, your vulnerability could be sitting at home clicking on a link in a suspicious email, checking email on the coffee shop's public wi-fi subway, or reading confidential emails on a packed subway.

The Right Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) Solution

So, between the toddlers and the coffee shops, today's security landscape is very different. We can't rely on what worked back in 1940 or even last year. Today's modern IGA solutions must be flexible and adaptable to keep up, but which one is right for you?

The truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all IGA solution. The right-size solution for your business depends entirely on your needs and business goals. Complete IGA solutions offer deep cross-functional integrations, custom APIs, automated processes, and other specialized functions. But what if these incredibly effective and highly efficient solutions are just more than you need right now?

Light IGA is a lightweight option that makes essential IGA features more accessible for businesses that need to build a strong foundation for identity security but might not need all the functionality of a comprehensive IGA. Well-suited for smaller organizations with limited regulatory oversight and simple identity workflows, Light IGA solutions are straightforward, lightweight, and flexible enough to grow with your business.

While Light IGA can be suitable for some organizations, it may not be the best choice for those in highly regulated industries, with complex identity workflows, or with a vast network of third-party relationships.

Let's look at some of Light IGA's limitations.

• Limited Support for Complex Environments: Light IGA solutions may not integrate completely with on-premises apps and multi-cloud or hybrid environments.
• Possibility of Manual Procedures: Full IGA solutions automate processes to make you more efficient and effective. Light IGA means some processes won't be fully automated, creating more work for your security teams.
• Limited Reporting & Auditing: Light IGA solutions might only provide rudimentary reporting and auditing features, making it more challenging to satisfy strict legal requirements or obtain comprehensive information about user access.
• Functionality Gaps: Because Light IGA is so simplified, you may need to invest in additional tools to address functionality gaps as your organization's IAM requirements change.
• Higher Costs: Light IGA can lead to higher costs due to increased manual processes and difficulty maintaining consistency across your security tools.

The Right IGA for Today and Tomorrow

There's no question that the deep integrations provided by a comprehensive IGA solution save time, improve the user experience, and make your security teams more efficient and effective. Still, they aren't suitable for every business.

For enterprises looking for a simplified and efficient method of identity governance and administration, Light IGA solutions are a compelling option. They might not have all the sophisticated capabilities of classic IGA, but their emphasis on fundamental functionality, usability, and scalability makes them a desirable choice for companies that need a strong identity security foundation without needless complexity.

With a Light IGA implementation, you can accomplish your near-term Identity and Access Management (IAM) goals without the expense and complexity of a top-heavy security program with features you will never use.

Are you wondering if a Light IGA solution is the right fit for your business?

Contact us for a complimentary assessment of your security program needs. Our IGA specialists are here to help you find the right size IGA for your organization.