The Identity Access Management Risk Assessment for Mitigating Hidden Threats

Discover how a quick identity access management risk assessment can help IT leaders identify hidden vulnerabilities, reduce exposure to breaches, and build a resilient IAM program that adapts to organizational change and emerging threats.

In brief:

• An identity access management risk assessment is a proactive way to get ahead of breaches.
• Most breaches begin with compromised credentials or misused access, and 90 percent of organizations faced at least one identity-related incident in 2024.
• Overpermissioned users, stale accounts, lack of MFA enforcement, and shadow IT are common red flags that expose organizations to unnecessary risk.
• A thorough IAM assessment should cover user access hygiene, authentication methods, privileged and third-party access, and life cycle management to uncover both security gaps and operational inefficiencies.
• IAM is not a one-time project but an evolving discipline. Building a clear road map and preparing for change ensures your organization can withstand future threats.

Most breaches begin in the same way: with compromised credentials or misused access. In fact, 90 percent of organizations experienced at least one incident involving identity management in 2024, and credential abuse remains the top initial access vector, involved in 22 percent of breaches. Yet many organizations don’t realize where their cracks are until an audit flags deficiencies, a merger forces system consolidation, or a breach occurs.

Identity access management (IAM) risks are often overlooked during times of rapid growth.

“When companies are scaling quickly, security is often a second thought,” says Matt Kipp, director of information technology (IT) risk at Centric Consulting. “Too much access gets granted on day one because roles aren’t tested properly and speed outweighs accuracy.”

This can leave organizations with overpermissioned users, unchecked vendor access, and accounts that persist quietly long after they should be removed, thereby putting them at greater risk.

The IAM Risk Self-Assessment

This quick identity access management self-assessment is designed to help you identify potential issues before they escalate. It’s not a replacement for a full-scale IAM assessment — which is typically triggered by major organizational changes, such as platform migrations, repeated audit findings or mergers — but it’s a practical way to identify risks now and start reducing exposure.

Think of it as a checkpoint: a way to measure where you stand today and where a deeper look might be warranted.

You don’t need to wait for a large transformation to uncover identity access management risks through this quick IAM self-assessment. If any of these red flags sound familiar, your IAM practices may be leaving your organization exposed:

• Do you copy and paste access provisioning? One of the most common mistakes is copying a veteran employee’s access for a new hire. “We see it all the time — someone who’s been here 15 years gets mirrored to someone who’s been here 15 hours,” Kipp says. This shortcut leads to overpermissioned users and long-term vulnerabilities.
• Do you have stale or orphaned accounts? Accounts of former employees, contractors, or vendors often linger if they aren’t tied to Active Directory or a central IAM tool. These “ghost accounts” are easy to miss but dangerous if left open.
• Is there a lack of MFA enforcement? Microsoft found multifactor authentication (MFA) can prevent 99.9 percent of account compromise attacks. In fact, MFA is one of the simplest and most effective controls, yet many organizations still don’t require it universally.
• Is shadow IT creating access gaps? Cloud and software as a service (SaaS) apps adopted by teams outside of IT frequently bypass formal provisioning processes. Without central oversight, it’s impossible to know who has access or to remember to remove that access when roles change.
• Are there admin accounts without monitoring? Privileged accounts offer the keys to your systems. Without continuous monitoring, any misuse, whether malicious or simply accidental, can cause significant damage.
• Is there delayed or manual offboarding? When departing employees retain access for days or weeks after leaving, the risk of misuse grows. Manual offboarding processes are especially prone to oversight.
• Do exceptions become the norm? Executives or managers often request exceptions — like access to blocked websites or applications. Over time, these exceptions get copied into new roles and spread throughout the organization, compounding hidden risks.

If you recognize several of these issues, your IAM program likely needs more structure. The next step is to understand what a thorough and professional IAM assessment covers.

What Do Detailed IAM Risk Assessments Cover?

Eighty-six percent of organizations surveyed by Identity Defined Security Alliance experienced an identity-related incident in the past year. When done right, an IAM risk assessment provides a clear map of where risks exist and how to address them.

A quick check can uncover surface-level issues, but a detailed IAM risk assessment performed by a professional digs deeper. These are rarely done as one-off exercises — instead, they’re usually triggered by significant organizational change like platform migrations, mergers or repeated audit findings.

A typical IAM risk assessment evaluates five main areas of your workflow:

1. User Access Hygiene

Do employees, contractors and vendors have only the access they truly need? Over time, permission creep can result in individuals having access far beyond their designated role.

2. Authentication Methods

Are passwords still the first (or only) line of defense? Many organizations lag in enforcing MFA or exploring newer approaches like passwordless identity.

3. Privileged Access

Who has administrative rights, and is their activity monitored?

“If you look at the top breaches, many stem from failures around privileged access,” Kipp says.

4. Third-Party Access

Vendors, contractors and external partners often fly under the radar. Without regular access reviews, these accounts can create significant vulnerabilities. In fact, third-party access was a factor in 30 percent of breaches this year, doubling from last year’s 15 percent.

5. Life Cycle Management

How well are access rights updated during onboarding, role changes, or offboarding? Delays and gaps here are often where vulnerabilities emerge first.

Go a Step Further With IAM Consulting Services

At Centric Consulting, our approach often goes a step further. For one client moving from one IAM platform to another, our team mapped their onboarding, offboarding and job change processes across dozens of applications.

From there, we identified specific risks at each step and prioritized remediation.

“We mapped the process, highlighted risks, and then built a phased plan to fix them,” Kipp says. “Quick wins like access reviews removed immediate risks, while longer-term fixes reduced licensing costs and improved overall security.”

This detailed IAM assessment strengthened controls and uncovered operational efficiencies and cost savings.

How to Read IAM Risk Assessment Results

An identity access management risk assessment is only valuable if you act on the results. Once risks are identified, the next step is to prioritize and remediate them in a structured way:

1. Prioritize the Biggest Risks First

Not every IAM issue carries the same level of impact. Focus first on the risks that expose sensitive data or grant unnecessary privileged access.

“If you do a user access review across the organization, you’ll often find dozens of people with access they don’t need. The first win is removing that access immediately,” Kipp says.

2. Capture Quick Wins to Build Momentum

Removing stale accounts, enforcing MFA, or tightening vendor access controls can all be done quickly, and they reduce risk right away. In many cases, these changes also offer side benefits, like lowering software licensing costs by eliminating unused accounts.

3. Develop a Road Map for Long-Term Maturity

Once you address immediate risks, outline a phased plan to strengthen your IAM program. This often includes refining life cycle management, defining role structures, and implementing monitoring for privileged accounts.

4. Bring in Support for Advanced IAM Strategy or Tool Upgrades

Sometimes, assessments reveal systemic issues — like the need to transition to a more robust IAM platform or integrate orphaned SaaS applications. These assessments are usually triggered by “big change” moments, such as moving to SailPoint or preparing for a merger. In those cases, external IAM experts can help you design processes that scale and ensure a smoother transition.

The real value of an IAM risk assessment isn’t just spotting problems. It’s turning your findings into a stronger, more resilient identity program that can adapt to change and withstand emerging threats.

Strengthening Your IAM Process for What’s Next

“Data is gold, and companies need to protect it across all systems,” Kipp says.

IAM is no longer just about compliance. Data is now the most valuable asset organizations hold, and attackers know it.

Setting up a user account isn’t the same as managing identity. IAM is not a one-time project. It’s an evolving discipline that needs to keep pace with rapid growth, platform migrations, and shifting risk landscapes. By addressing today’s red flags, building a clear road map, and preparing for what’s next, you can make IAM a foundation for safeguarding your people and your business.

Contact our IAM experts at Centric Consulting today to strengthen your IAM process. Let’s talk