As organizations rapidly embrace digital transformation, the number of users, applications, and devices that need secure access continues to grow. While this brings efficiency and connectivity, it also introduces complex security challenges. To address these concerns, businesses implement identity governance and administration (IGA) frameworks that ensure the right individuals have the right level of access to critical systems and data.

Yet, despite its importance, many organizations struggle with the effective adoption and execution of IGA. The reality is that identity governance is not just about deploying tools; it requires ongoing processes, cultural shifts, and strategic alignment. Let’s explore the most pressing challenges organizations face when managing identity governance and administration.

1. Complexity of Modern IT Environments

Organizations today often operate in hybrid environments, mixing cloud-based platforms with on-premises applications. Employees, contractors, and third parties may need access across a wide range of systems.

This complexity makes it difficult to maintain centralized oversight. Without a unified view, administrators risk granting excessive or outdated permissions. The lack of consistency across platforms also leads to policy enforcement gaps, leaving organizations vulnerable to unauthorized access.

2. Managing the Volume of Identities

As businesses scale, they must manage thousands—or even millions—of digital identities. Each identity is associated with specific roles, responsibilities, and entitlements. Ensuring accuracy in creating, updating, and deactivating accounts becomes overwhelming without automation.

Manual processes are not only time-consuming but also prone to errors. A single overlooked account can lead to an orphaned identity, which becomes a potential entry point for malicious activity.

3. Ensuring Least Privilege Access

One of the most common challenges in identity governance and administration is enforcing the principle of least privilege—granting users only the access they truly need to perform their jobs.

In practice, employees often accumulate access rights over time as they switch roles or take on new projects. Without regular reviews and remediation, this leads to access creep, where users have far more permissions than required. Such over-privileged accounts significantly increase the risk of insider threats and data breaches.

4. Compliance and Regulatory Pressure

Industries across the globe face strict compliance requirements, including GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, and others. These regulations mandate not just protecting sensitive data but also demonstrating accountability through auditable access controls.

For many organizations, proving compliance during audits is a major challenge. It requires detailed reports, complete visibility into user access, and a transparent record of policy enforcement. Without an effective IGA framework, achieving and maintaining compliance can feel like an uphill battle.

5. Resistance to Change

Implementing identity governance often involves changing long-standing practices, workflows, and organizational habits. Employees and even managers may resist stricter controls if they perceive them as obstacles to productivity.

For example, stricter access reviews or role-based access controls might be seen as bureaucratic red tape rather than essential security measures. Balancing user convenience with robust governance requires thoughtful change management and effective communication across teams.

6. Lack of Skilled Resources

Identity governance and administration is a specialized domain that requires both technical and compliance expertise. Unfortunately, many organizations face a shortage of skilled professionals who can design, implement, and monitor IGA programs effectively.

This skills gap often results in underutilized tools, misconfigured policies, or inconsistent enforcement—weakening the entire governance structure.

7. Integration Challenges

Effective IGA depends on seamless integration with a wide variety of applications, systems, and directories. Organizations often use a mix of enterprise resource planning systems, HR tools, cloud apps, and custom applications.

Ensuring that all of these systems communicate effectively with the identity governance platform is no small feat. Integration issues can create blind spots, where certain systems are left unmanaged, increasing the likelihood of security incidents.

8. Keeping Up with Evolving Threats

Cybersecurity threats are evolving rapidly, and attackers increasingly target identity-related vulnerabilities. Phishing, credential theft, and privilege misuse are common tactics.

Organizations must ensure that their identity governance frameworks are adaptive and resilient against these changing threats. Static, outdated IGA policies can leave gaps that attackers exploit. Continuous monitoring and adjustment are essential but often overlooked.

9. High Costs of Implementation

Deploying a comprehensive identity governance system involves significant financial investment. The costs extend beyond technology licenses to include staffing, integration, training, and ongoing management.

For many organizations, especially mid-sized enterprises, these expenses can be daunting. Without clear planning and defined return on investment, IGA initiatives risk losing executive support.

10. Balancing Security with User Experience

One of the biggest challenges organizations face is striking the right balance between security and usability. Overly restrictive access controls can frustrate users, reduce productivity, and lead to workarounds that introduce new risks.

On the other hand, too much flexibility weakens governance and increases vulnerabilities. Successful IGA frameworks must carefully calibrate this balance, ensuring strong security without hindering business operations.

Overcoming the Challenges

While the challenges are significant, they are not insurmountable. Organizations can strengthen identity governance by:

• Automating processes like provisioning, de-provisioning, and access reviews

• Implementing role-based access controls (RBAC) to streamline permissions

• Conducting regular user access reviews to prevent access creep

• Leveraging analytics to detect unusual behavior or anomalies

• Investing in training and awareness to foster a security-first culture

Platforms like Securends provide advanced identity governance and administration capabilities that help organizations automate user access reviews, detect risks proactively, and maintain compliance seamlessly.

Conclusion

Identity governance and administration is no longer optional—it’s a necessity for modern organizations navigating complex digital environments. From managing thousands of identities to maintaining compliance and preventing insider threats, IGA presents both opportunities and challenges.

By recognizing the obstacles—such as integration issues, compliance demands, and access creep—organizations can take proactive steps to overcome them. With the right mix of technology, processes, and cultural alignment, identity governance can become a powerful enabler of security, compliance, and operational efficiency.