Putting Visibility First in Identity & Access Management
Visibility first
This report introduces seven visibility-first principles that highlight common blind spots in identity and access landscapes and offers guidance on how to address them. It then explores how such an approach can complement traditional IAM and IGA efforts. Finally, it outlines our Identity Strategy Discovery approach: a practical way to apply these principles, uncover hidden risks, and build a roadmap that strengthens identity security in a controlled and sustainable way.
In this paper, Timo Copp examines the foundations of identity visibility and explains why an identity-first security approach is increasingly important. It also explores how an Identity Visibility and Intelligence Platform (IVIP) differs from traditional IAM and IGA solutions. While IAM and IGA play essential roles (provisioning users, managing lifecycles, and enforcing access), IVIP may address a different challenge: understanding what is really there, how it is connected, and where risk is accumulating.
The bottom line: it’s difficult to protect what you cannot see, so better make sure you see it all! Visibility helps make decisions informed, actions deliberate, and control based on understanding rather than assumptions.
In this report
Finding a strategy that puts understanding before intervention and places visibility at the centre of identity and access initiatives. Rather than starting with large tool rollouts or relatively rigid governance models, it starts with a clear view of what exists in your environment.
- Seven Visibility First principles
- Visibility First approach: visibility before technology
- Identity strategy discovery: a roadmap to regain control
Authors and contributors
Written by Timo Copp, with special thanks to Dr. Ludwig Fuchs, André Koot, Mihael Zadro, Vinod Ramlakhan, Avishkar Kanade for having a second look and giving valuable input.
