Identity & Access Management (IAM) is a big undertaking.  I always joke that the successor to the CIO who purchases a legacy IAM platform is the one that gets all of the credit for the project.  But it doesn't have to be that way; an IAM platform that is easy to install, customize and configure AND that is modular can give ROI along the way.

A partner of ours calls that Think Big, Start Smart.

Take a look at the way EmpowerID segments an IAM project:

Some of these functions can be done standalone, some have a faster ROI than others, some have business owners that can fund the project.  But you have to choose a platform that first off can accomplish all of them and second off doesn't force you to buy all of it if you want to "start smart".

A great example of this is a customer who started by managing users and their access within SharePoint using EmpowerID's built-in claims functionality.  We were able to define a whole slew of dynamic roles and assign those to different SharePoint sites.  Once they had this functionality done, the roles and HR inventorying processes were already defined so a VERY easy next step was role based provisioning into all of the applicable systems.  Once accounts are defined, why not add single sign-on into those applications. 

This project was broken into three phases, all of the platform functionality was installed during the first phase (metadirectory, GRC functions, RBAC engine, visual workflow studio) and the customer just needed to purchase the appropriate module to unlock the functionality for each phase.  They were able to accomplish their main initial goal and future proof for the rest of their IAM needs.

EmpowerID's single code-base platform is what makes this work; we ship with over 400 out of the box workflow templates and all of the capabilities of the metadirectory, RBAC engine, audit/SOD capabilities and visual workflow studio.  This is out of the box regardless of the module.

The sections in green below are the functions that come with the platform:

When you are choosing a platform for IAM, think of these factors.  Can you start smart, get an initial positive ROI, and future proof for future needs?  IAM is big, never forget to think big.  And that means thinking EmpowerID.  Schedule a demo today!