What is Identity Access Management?

Identity Access Management, often referred to as IAM or “Identity and Access Management”, is the way your business controls who can access its systems, data, applications and devices. 

Put simply, Identity Access Management ensures that the right people have the right access, to the right systems, at the right time and nothing more. 

Sounds simple… right? 

Well, you would be surprised. Modern business technology is no longer limited to one office, one server, one device, one service and one set of users. Employees now access a multitude of cloud platforms, Microsoft 365, finance systems, CRMs, shared files, mobile devices, remote desktops, Software as a Services (SaaS) applications and third-party portals. Without the right controls in place over each of those account and what they have access to, access can quickly become messy, risky and very difficult to manage. 

A good Identity Access Management strategy helps answer important questions such as: 

• Who has access to your systems? 
• Who has access to your SaaS or Cloud platforms? 
• What can they access? 
• Do they still need that access? 
• How are they proving they are who they say they are? 
• What happens when someone changes role or leaves the business? 
• Are admin accounts properly controlled and monitored? 

This is why Identity Access Management/IAM is no longer just an IT admin task. It is a core part of cyber security, compliance, risk management and operational resilience. 

 

Why does Identity Access Management matter for modern businesses? 

Many cyber attacks do not start with the type of dramatic hacking scenes you see in the movies. They start with a simple login. 

Stolen or weak passwords, dark web leaks, weak authentication, old user accounts, over-permissioned employees and unmanaged admin rights can all give cyber criminals an easy way into a business with the ability to cause real harm. Once inside, they may be able to access or steal sensitive data, move between systems, change settings, install malicious software, compromise backups and cause major disruptions to operations. 

Example 

In 2021 Colonial Pipeline was hit with a Ransomware Attack that resulted in them paying a $4.4 million ransom demand. But how did this attack even happen to begin with? Cyber criminals where able to gain access to the Colonial Pipeline network by accessing an unused VPN account (not linked to a current employee) that had elevated access to their network infrastructure and that did not have multi-factor authentication (MFA) access enabled. Whilst the cost of the ransom was $4.4 million ($2.3 million of which was later recovered), it is estimated that the attack, which caused a six-day shut down across 6 US states, cost Colonial Pipeline $25 million in lost revenue with an additional knock-on impact of the US economy in the tens of millions of dollars. 

The UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025/2026 reported that 43% of UK businesses identified a cyber security breach or attack in the previous 12 months. The same survey also found that only 47% of businesses had any requirement for two-factor authentication across user accounts, networks or applications. 

This means that more than 50% of UK businesses could be open to similar vulnerabilities that impacted Colonial Pipeline. 

If users identity and access is not managed properly, businesses can end up relying too heavily on insecure (or leaked) passwords, ignoring accounts that should no longer be active, or giving users more access to systems and resources than they really need to effectively do their roles. Identity Access Management (IAM) reduces this risk by creating a structured, secure and auditable way to manage access across the business. 

 

What does Identity Access Management include? 

Identity Access Management is not just about one single tool. It’s really a combination of technology, policy and process that should be embedded into the core of every business’s cyber security strategy. No matter if you are 1 user or have 1,000+ users. 

Identity Access Management may include secure user onboarding, role-based access control, multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, conditional access, passwordless authentication (such as Passkeys or Hardware Tokens), device compliance checks, user access reviews, admin account management, user access audit logging and even an automated leaver processes to securely deactivate inactive accounts. 

However, it is essential that as businesses create integrations between applications (or create their own workflows through AI solutions) that any IAM setup should also consider the protection of “non-human identities”, such as service accounts, application accounts and integrations. These can often be overlooked, but they may provide powerful access to business systems and data that cyber criminals could exploit. 

The goal isn’t to make work harder for users. It’s to make access safer, simpler, more secure and easier to control. 

 

IAM, PIM and PAM… What do they mean and how do they link together? 

Whilst we may be covering Identity Access Management, it’s important to remember that it is closely linked to Privileged Identity and Privileged Access Management (PIM & PAM), however they each serve a different role. 

Identity Access Management 

IAM is the overall approach to managing identities and access (including authentication requirements) across the business. It covers everyday users, devices, applications and access rules. 

Privileged Identity Management 

PIM focuses on high-risk roles, such as Global Administrator, Exchange Administrator, SharePoint Administrator, Domain Administrator or other elevated roles. PIM allows privileged access to be time-limited, approval-based, monitored and audited, rather than permanently assigned. 

Privileged Access Management 

PAM focuses on controlling, securing and monitoring privileged accounts, sessions and credentials. This can include admin accounts, local administrator access, service accounts, vendor access, server access, firewall access and access to critical infrastructure. 

In simple terms, IAM manages access across the business, PIM controls when people can activate privileged roles, and PAM protects the most powerful accounts and administrative activity. 

 

Where does Privileged Identity Management fit into Identity Access Management? 

PIM is especially important because user accounts with any kind of elevated administrator access carry a much higher level of risk. 

A standard user account might be able to access email, files and business applications specific to their role.  

A privileged account may be able to create users, reset passwords, change security settings, access files across the business, access other people’s mailboxes, alter cloud environments or disable protections. 

If a privileged account is compromised, the impact can be far greater. 

Privileged Identity Management helps reduce the risk by removing elevated privilege wherever possible. Instead of a user holding admin rights all the time, they can be made eligible to elevate access to a role with select administrator rights and only activate it when needed. 

That activation can require additional multi-factor authentication, a business justification, approval from another senior person, a time limit and a recorded audit trail. This helps businesses move towards the principle of least privilege, where people only have the access they need, when they need it. 

 

Where does Privileged Access Management fit into Identity Access Management? 

Privileged Access Management goes deeper into the management of high-risk accounts and privileged activity. 

For example, a business may have admin accounts for servers, backup systems, firewalls, databases, finance platforms, legacy applications or third-party support. Some of these accounts may not belong to one named person. Others may be shared, rarely reviewed, protected by old passwords or not have any form of multi-factor authentication. 

That creates risk. 

PAM brings those accounts under control. Depending on the environment, this may include credential vaulting, password rotation, session monitoring, approval workflows, just-in-time access, privileged account discovery and detailed reporting. 

This is particularly valuable for businesses with complex infrastructure, compliance requirements, external suppliers or sensitive data. 

 

Identity Access Management and Zero Trust  

Zero Trust is based on the idea that access should not be automatically trusted just because someone is inside the network or knows a password. Instead, every access request should be checked against identity, device, location, risk, role and business need. 

A Zero Trust approach to Identity Access Management may include conditional access policies, multi-factor authentication, device compliance checks, identity risk alerts, session controls and restrictions based on geography or unusual behaviour. 

This means a login attempt from a trusted user on a managed laptop in the UK can be treated differently from a login attempt using the same credentials from an unknown device in another country. 

Zero Trust Cloud Access can then extend this security by also securing access to cloud-based solutions using the same controls that users would expect from conditional access on a physical network. 

 

Identity Access Management and Compliance 

Identity Access Management also plays an important role in meeting the requirements of Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO27001. 

Cyber Essentials includes user access control as one of its five core technical controls. Businesses must be able to control who can access their data and services, restrict administrator privileges and remove accounts or permissions that are no longer required. Cyber Essentials Plus goes further by independently testing whether these controls have been implemented effectively. 

Whereas ISO27001 also places significant emphasis on access control as part of protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data that your business holds. Businesses may need to demonstrate clear data access policies, role-based permissions, a secure onboarding/offboarding process, privileged access controls, regular access reviews and reliable audit records. 

Identity Access Management supports these standards by providing a structured and auditable way to manage access across users, devices, applications and privileged accounts.  

However, it is important to remember that compliance should never be treated as a one-off tick box exercise. Access controls must be regularly reviewed, properly documented, supported by evidence to ensure they continue to reflect how the business operates and can be provided as evidence as part of an independent audit. 

 

How TwentyFour Supports Businesses with Identity Access Management 

When is the last time that your business audited how many inactive accounts were enabled on your business systems? 

When is the last time you reviewed access requirements such as Multi-Factor Authentication policies? 

And when did you last review what data or applications your users have access to? 

TwentyFour supports businesses to identify these risks by reviewing user accounts, permissions, administrator roles, Microsoft 365 and Entra ID configuration, authentication requirements, conditional access policies, device compliance, privileged access controls and more 

We then help businesses design and implement an access model that reflects how they actually operate. This may include role-based access, least privilege, secure onboarding and offboarding, regular access reviews, Privileged Identity Management & Privileged Access Management (PIM & PAM), identity monitoring and clearer reporting. We then ensure that we link this with endpoint management, Microsoft 365 security, Zero Trust, security monitoring, our Cyber Security Operations Centre and compliance management as part of a wider multi-layered cyber security strategy. 

When implemented properly, Identity Access Management can reduce the risk of account compromise, control privileged access, improve visibility, support compliance and protect sensitive business information. TwentyFour helps businesses ensure that access is not only available to the right people, but that it remains necessary, secure, appropriate and properly monitored over time. Find out more by reaching out to our team to find out more. 

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