What is Identity Lifecycle Management (ILM)?
Identity Lifecycle Management (ILM) is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a user’s digital identity within an organization, from creation and activation to modification, suspension, and eventual deactivation or deletion. It encompasses onboarding, access provisioning, access review, role changes, and offboarding. ILM ensures that users have the right access at the right time based on their current role, responsibilities, and security context, and that access is revoked when no longer needed. It is a core function within Identity and Access Management (IAM) and is essential for enforcing least privilege and meeting compliance requirements.
Why is Identity Lifecycle Management Important?
Without effective ILM, organizations face significant security, operational, and compliance risks. Failure to properly deactivate user accounts can lead to orphaned accounts, privilege creep, or unauthorized access, which are common attack vectors in both IT and OT environments. ILM mitigates these risks by aligning identity attributes and access rights with real-time business and operational changes.
In critical infrastructure, where users may include rotating contractors, third-party vendors, or remote operators, ILM plays a vital role in ensuring only authorized users can access sensitive systems, especially during personnel transitions or incidents. Regulatory standards like NERC CIP, IEC 62443, TSA SD02E, NIS2, and Saudi OTCC-1:2022 require organizations to demonstrate control over identity provisioning, deprovisioning, and access auditing across their systems.
ILM also supports Zero Trust Architecture, where identity is continuously validated and access rights must dynamically reflect a user’s current trust level and context. When done correctly, ILM reduces insider risk, simplifies compliance, and strengthens operational resilience.
How Does Xona Help with Identity Lifecycle Management?
Xona enhances Identity Lifecycle Management by acting as a policy-driven, access control layer that integrates seamlessly with enterprise identity systems, such as Active Directory, LDAP, and SAML providers. While Xona does not manage identity creation itself, it plays a critical role in enforcing access policies tied to the identity’s current lifecycle state.
Through role-based and time-based access controls (RBAC + TBAC), multi-factor authentication, and credential injection, Xona ensures that only valid, active identities can access critical OT and IT systems, on a just-in-time or time-limited basis. If a user is offboarded or disabled in the identity provider, access via Xona is automatically revoked. This creates a synchronized, secure enforcement point between identity lifecycle events and system access.
Xona also provides complete session visibility, audit logs, and video recordings, allowing security teams to track exactly when, how, and by whom access was used. This auditability is essential for lifecycle governance and proving compliance with access-related regulatory controls.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key stages of the identity lifecycle?
The main stages include identity creation, access provisioning, modification (such as role or permission changes), suspension, and deactivation or deletion.
How does ILM help prevent unauthorized access?
By aligning user access with real-time role and employment status, ILM ensures that only authorized individuals retain access and that access is promptly revoked when no longer needed.
What risks are associated with poor identity lifecycle management?
Is ILM a requirement in cybersecurity compliance frameworks?
Does Identity Lifecycle Management apply to contractors and third-party users?
How does Xona support identity lifecycle enforcement?
Xona integrates with identity providers to enforce access policies in real time, ensuring that access is automatically revoked when a user is disabled or removed, while providing full session auditing and access traceability.
