What is Identity Governance? Definition & Best Practices

Identity governance involves orchestrating user identity management and access control, so you give the right people access to the right tools at the right time. That same system also assesses risks and produces reports, so you can track use and prove compliance.

Identity governance solutions are complex, and they do take time to implement. But automation and machine learning cut down on pesky, manual tasks, such as password management and provisioning.

Those automation systems also help to manage employment lifecycles, so you can enhance or restrict access due to changes in an employee's daily work.

How Does Identity Governance Work?

Your job as an IT professional involves balancing two competing objectives. On the one hand, you must support productivity with quick access to appropriate files. On the other, you must defend your company's private and sensitive documents. And you must work quickly, so you keep the trust and support of your superiors.

Identity governance solutions make your job easier.

Think of identity governance as an umbrella term that encompasses many smaller processes. They all work together to offer robust security while maintaining access.

Identity governance products typically contain features such as:

• Administration. You determine valid users within the system, and you can delete them as needed.
• Analytics. Reports help you understand when pieces of your network are accessed, when they are changed, and who is doing the work.