Identity Lifecycle Management (ILM) / Identitätslebenszyklus-Management

Identity Lifecycle Management (ILM) is the end-to-end process that creates, updates, and retires digital identities and their access as people and services join, move, and leave (the “JML” cycle). It coordinates HR or source-of-truth records with directories, identity providers, and target applications to ensure each identity has the right access at the right time, and no more.

In practical terms, ILM automates provisioning (creating accounts and assigning baseline roles), changes (updating access when roles or teams change), and deprovisioning (disabling accounts and revoking tokens/keys at exit). Modern ILM uses standards and tooling such as SCIM for user sync, RBAC/ABAC for policy, and integrations with SSO/MFA, directories (e.g., AD/AAD), SaaS admin APIs, cloud IAM, and ticketing systems. Approvals, separation-of-duties checks, and audit trails are typically built in so access decisions are governed and traceable.

How does it affect identity security?
From an identity perspective, ILM is one of the most effective ways to shrink the attack surface and meet compliance expectations:

• Prevents orphaned accounts: Automated deprovisioning revokes access the moment an employee or contractor departs, reducing the chance that stale credentials are abused.
• Stops privilege creep: Movers often accumulate access. ILM re-evaluates entitlements at each change so users keep only what the new role needs (least privilege).
• Covers non-human identities: Service accounts, API keys, and workload identities get owners, rotation schedules, and scoped permissions, so automation doesn’t become a blind spot.
• Supports Zero Trust: By keeping entitlements current and minimal, ILM complements MFA/SSO, JIT elevation, and continuous verification.
• Strengthens auditability: Consistent approvals, evidence of access reviews, and accurate user/app inventories simplify audits (e.g., SOC 2, ISO/IEC 27001) without relying on manual spreadsheets.

Case study
A mid-size SaaS company discovered several inactive contractor accounts that still had access to internal tools after the project ended. Although the VPN required MFA, some SaaS apps allowed direct logins, leaving a gap. The team implemented ILM improvements: HR-driven terminations automatically disabled identities everywhere (via SCIM), offboarding checklists revoked tokens and API keys, and quarterly access certifications removed lingering entitlements for role changes. Subsequent internal reviews found no active accounts without owners and a measurable reduction in excessive privileges.

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