Identity automation is the use of automated workflows to execute identity and access changes across enterprise systems.

It can automate processes including:

• employee onboarding and offboarding

• joiner, mover and leaver processes

• access requests and approvals

• account creation and removal

• group and entitlement changes

• Microsoft 365 access

• shared mailboxes and distribution lists

• application provisioning

• licence assignment and removal

• device and resource allocation

The objective is to reduce the manual identity work performed by IAM teams, IT operations and service desks while improving consistency, speed and control.

[Learn more: What is Identity Automation?]

What types of identity automation platforms are available?

Identity automation is not a single software category.

Most enterprise identity environments use several technologies together. These commonly include Microsoft identity platforms, IGA platforms, ITSM platforms and identity automation or orchestration platforms.

Understanding their different roles is important when comparing vendors.

Microsoft Entra ID

Microsoft Entra ID provides identity and access management for Microsoft and cloud environments, including authentication, access policies and identity lifecycle capabilities.

For organisations heavily invested in Microsoft, Entra is often a central part of the identity architecture.

The challenge for larger organisations is that identity processes frequently extend beyond Microsoft.

An employee joining, changing roles or leaving may require changes across HR, Active Directory, Entra ID, Microsoft 365, ITSM systems and numerous business applications.

This creates a need to coordinate identity processes across multiple systems.

Identity Governance and Administration platforms

IGA platforms such as SailPoint, Saviynt and One Identity are designed primarily around identity governance.

Typical capabilities include:

• access governance

• entitlement management

• access certification

• policy

• segregation of duties

• identity lifecycle governance

IGA is particularly important where organisations need sophisticated governance, certification and compliance controls.

However, governance and operational execution are not always the same problem.

An organisation may have well-defined access policies while still relying on service desk tickets, scripts and administrators to implement identity changes across its environment.

IT Service Management platforms

Platforms such as ServiceNow are frequently used as the front door for identity and access requests.

They are effective for:

• request capture

• service catalogues

• workflow

• approvals

• ticket management

Many organisations want to retain ServiceNow for this purpose.

The identity automation question is what happens after an access request has been approved.

Identity automation can execute the resulting changes across directories, Microsoft platforms and business applications, then return the outcome to the ITSM workflow.

[Learn more: ServiceNow and identity automation]

Identity automation and orchestration platforms

Identity automation platforms focus on executing and coordinating identity processes across multiple enterprise systems.

They can connect HR, IAM, IGA, ITSM, directories and business applications so that an identity event in one system automatically triggers the appropriate actions elsewhere.

For example:

HR records a new employee → identity is created → appropriate access is determined → accounts and groups are provisioned → licences and resources are assigned → stakeholders are notified → completion is recorded.

The same model can apply when someone changes roles or leaves the organisation.

[Learn more: What is Identity Orchestration?]

What should Australian and New Zealand organisations look for in an identity automation platform?

The right platform depends on your existing environment and the operational problems you need to solve.

For mid-sized and large organisations, several questions are particularly useful.

1. Does it work with the systems you already have?

Replacing an established IAM, IGA, ITSM or HR platform may be unnecessary.

Look for automation that can work across your existing identity environment rather than requiring every system to be replaced.

That can include:

• Active Directory

• Microsoft Entra ID

• Microsoft 365

• HR systems

• ServiceNow and other ITSM platforms

• IGA platforms

• enterprise applications

• cloud and on-premises infrastructure

2. Can it automate the complete identity lifecycle?

Creating an account is only one part of identity lifecycle management.

Look at how the platform handles:

Joiners: creating identities, accounts, access, groups, licences and resources.

Movers: changing access when roles, teams, locations or employment conditions change.

Leavers: removing access, accounts, licences and resources reliably and on time.

The mover process is particularly important because access can accumulate as employees change roles.

3. Can it operate across hybrid environments?

Many established Australian and New Zealand organisations still operate hybrid environments.

Identity automation therefore needs to work across cloud services and existing on-premises infrastructure rather than assuming a cloud-only architecture.

[Learn more about Activate architecture and integrations]

4. Does it automate execution, not just workflow?

A workflow can approve an identity change without actually completing it.

Ask what happens after approval.

Does the platform create another ticket for someone to action?

Does an administrator run a script?

Or does the platform execute the required changes automatically across the relevant systems?

This distinction is important when the objective is to reduce operational effort.

5. Can you automate incrementally?

Identity transformation does not have to begin with a large replacement programme.

Organisations can often start with a high-volume operational problem such as onboarding, offboarding or access requests and expand automation over time.

This can reduce implementation risk and allow value to be demonstrated before extending automation to additional processes.

6. Can it demonstrate results in environments like yours?

Ask potential vendors for evidence from organisations with comparable workforce sizes, complexity and technology environments.

Useful evidence includes:

• number of identity transactions automated

• reduction in manual fulfilment

• reduction in service desk workload

• percentage of lifecycle processes automated

• implementation scope

• systems integrated

• measurable operational outcomes

Which identity automation approach is right for your organisation?

There is no single answer for every organisation.

A Microsoft-centric organisation may be able to solve many requirements within the Microsoft identity ecosystem.

An organisation with complex governance requirements may need a dedicated IGA platform.

An organisation whose primary requirement is request and service management may rely heavily on ServiceNow or another ITSM platform.

Organisations with established identity, HR and ITSM technologies but significant manual work between them may instead need an identity automation and orchestration layer.

These technologies can coexist.

The important question is not simply:

Which identity platform should we buy?

It is:

Where is identity work still being performed manually, and which technology is best placed to automate it?

Where does Activate fit?

Activate is an enterprise identity automation platform originating in New Zealand and serving organisations across Australia and New Zealand.

Activate is designed for organisations that already have identity infrastructure but still have significant manual operational work connecting people, systems and access.

Rather than replacing IAM, IGA, HR or ITSM platforms, Activate can work across them as an automation and orchestration layer.

The platform supports identity processes across hybrid enterprise environments including Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365, HR systems, ITSM platforms and business applications.

Activate's solutions cover three primary areas.

Access Automation

Automates high-volume access and identity requests that would otherwise require service desk or administrator fulfilment.

[Explore Access Automation]

Identity Lifecycle

Automates joiner, mover and leaver processes across HR, identity, directory and business systems.

[Explore Identity Lifecycle]

Identity Orchestration

Coordinates identity and access processes across multiple systems and workflows in complex enterprise environments.

[Explore Identity Orchestration]

What kinds of organisations use Activate?

Activate is designed primarily for mid-sized and large organisations operating complex identity environments.

It is particularly relevant where organisations have:

• hundreds or thousands of employees

• hybrid Microsoft environments

• established IAM, IGA or ITSM platforms

• multiple business applications

• significant service desk involvement in identity processes

• manual joiner, mover and leaver processes

• scripts and workarounds connecting identity systems

• high volumes of repetitive access administration

Activate customers include organisations in financial services, government, retail and other complex enterprise environments.

Across customer environments, Activate automates hundreds of thousands of identity and access transactions each year.

[Explore Activate customer case studies]

Identity automation vs IGA: what's the difference?

IGA and identity automation solve related but different problems.

IGA primarily governs identity and access.

It helps organisations determine who should have access, apply policies, manage entitlements and review or certify access.

Identity automation primarily executes identity operations.

It automates the work required to implement identity changes across directories, applications and enterprise systems.

In many enterprise environments the two technologies complement each other.

IGA can determine that access should change. Identity automation can execute that change across the systems where the work needs to happen.

Identity automation vs ServiceNow: what's the difference?

ServiceNow and identity automation can also work together.

ServiceNow can provide the employee-facing service catalogue, request workflow and approval process.

Once a request has been approved, an identity automation platform can execute the required provisioning or access changes and return the result to ServiceNow.

This allows organisations to retain their existing service experience while reducing manual fulfilment behind it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best identity automation platform in Australia or New Zealand?

There is no single platform that is best for every organisation. The appropriate choice depends on the organisation's existing identity architecture, governance requirements, applications, level of Microsoft adoption and the processes it wants to automate.

Microsoft Entra, IGA platforms, ITSM platforms and identity automation platforms solve different parts of the identity problem and are frequently used together.

Are there identity automation vendors based in New Zealand?

Yes. Activate is an enterprise identity automation company originating in New Zealand and operating across Australia and New Zealand. It focuses on automating identity lifecycle, access and operational processes across existing enterprise systems.

Can identity automation work with Microsoft Entra ID?

Yes. Identity automation can extend processes across Microsoft Entra ID, Active Directory, Microsoft 365 and other enterprise systems.

This is particularly useful for organisations operating hybrid identity environments.

Can identity automation work with ServiceNow?

Yes. ServiceNow can remain the request and approval layer while an identity automation platform executes provisioning, changes and deprovisioning across downstream systems.

Do I need to replace my existing IAM or IGA platform?

Not necessarily.

Identity automation can complement existing IAM, IGA, HR and ITSM investments by automating the operational work between them.

What is joiner-mover-leaver automation?

Joiner-mover-leaver automation uses events such as a person starting, changing role or leaving to trigger the appropriate identity and access changes automatically.

This can include account creation, access changes, group membership, application provisioning, licence management and deprovisioning.

Can identity automation work in hybrid environments?

Yes. Enterprise identity automation can coordinate processes across cloud and on-premises systems, including Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365 and business applications.

Evaluating identity automation for your environment

The best place to start is usually not with a platform comparison.

Start by identifying where identity operations currently require tickets, manual hand-offs, scripts, repeated administration or follow-up.

Those processes show where automation may deliver the greatest operational benefit.

Activate works with organisations to identify those opportunities and determine which identity processes can realistically be automated within their existing environment.

Want to understand where identity automation could fit in your environment?

[Talk to Activate about your identity automation challenges]