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?