AWS IAM vs SailPoint: What are the differences?

Introduction

IAM stands for Identity and Access Management, while SailPoint is an identity management software. Both IAM and SailPoint are used to manage user identities and their access to various resources within an organization. However, there are several key differences between the two.

1. User Management: AWS IAM is primarily focused on managing users, groups, and their access permissions within the AWS ecosystem. It provides a centralized control panel for managing access to AWS services and resources. In contrast, SailPoint offers a broader range of identity management capabilities, including user lifecycle management, access certification, and role-based access control (RBAC) across multiple systems and applications.

2. Deployment Model: AWS IAM is a cloud-based service provided by Amazon Web Services, which means it is hosted and managed by AWS. It is tightly integrated with other AWS services and can be used to manage access to both AWS resources and third-party applications integrated with AWS. On the other hand, SailPoint can be deployed on-premises or in a private cloud, providing organizations with more flexibility and control over their identity management infrastructure.

3. Integration Capabilities: While AWS IAM focuses on managing access to AWS services, it also supports integration with external identity providers (IdPs) such as Active Directory, LDAP, and SAML. This allows organizations to use their existing user directories and authentication mechanisms to manage access to AWS resources. SailPoint, on the other hand, provides extensive integration capabilities with a wide range of enterprise systems and applications, making it suitable for managing access to resources beyond the AWS ecosystem.

4. Identity Governance: SailPoint offers advanced identity governance features, such as access management, access request and approval workflows, and access provisioning and deprovisioning. These features enable organizations to enforce compliance policies, mitigate security risks, and streamline identity-related processes. AWS IAM, while providing basic access management capabilities, does not offer the same level of governance features as SailPoint.

5. Auditing and Compliance: SailPoint provides robust auditing and reporting capabilities that help organizations meet compliance requirements and track user access activities across systems and applications. It enables organizations to monitor and analyze user access events, detect policy violations, and generate compliance reports. AWS IAM also offers auditing features, but its scope is primarily limited to AWS services and resources.

6. Customization and Extensibility: SailPoint provides a highly customizable and extensible platform that allows organizations to tailor the solution to their specific requirements. It offers a wide range of tools and APIs for customizing workflows, integrating with third-party systems, and extending the functionality of the platform. While AWS IAM allows some level of customization through policies and roles, it is not as flexible and customizable as SailPoint.

In summary, AWS IAM is focused on managing access to AWS resources within the AWS ecosystem, while SailPoint is a comprehensive identity management platform with broader capabilities for managing user identities, access governance, and compliance across various systems and applications. SailPoint offers more advanced features, customization options, and integration capabilities compared to AWS IAM.