IAM Target Architecture
An IAM target architecture is the coherent representation of the identity and access ecosystem an organisation intends to reach.
- Synonym
- target IAM architectureIAM target state
Definition
An IAM target architecture describes the identity and access ecosystem an organisation wants to operate: identity sources, repositories, identity governance and administration, access management, privileged access management, authorization, directories, applications, APIs, human and non-human identities, the flows between them, the interfaces, the security controls, and the way the whole is operated. Its main value is not the diagram itself but the clarity it brings on responsibilities: which component is authoritative for what, which decisions are taken where, and where the responsibility of each capability stops. A target architecture is a direction of travel, refined as the roadmap progresses, not a frozen blueprint.
Why it matters
An IAM target architecture lets separate projects converge instead of each solving identity problems in its own way.
The Ariovis perspective
An IAM target architecture is not a product architecture diagram. It has to show how several capabilities cooperate and, above all, where the responsibility of each one stops. A classic risk is to ask an IAM component to solve problems that in reality belong to another layer. The architecture should stay guided by usage and responsibilities, not by the desire to fit the whole information system into a single tool.
Related services
Common pitfalls
- Asking one IAM component to solve problems that belong to another layer is a classic source of unmaintainable architectures.
Resources
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