IAM in one sentence

IAM (Identity & Access Management) controls how employees, contractors, and partners access internal systems (apps, data, infrastructure).

Think: “Who in our organisation can access what, and how do we manage that safely over time?”

Typical IAM use cases

• New employee onboarding (accounts, access, devices)

• Role-based access and approvals

• Privileged access control (admin accounts)

• Single Sign-On (SSO) for internal apps

• Offboarding (removing access quickly and reliably)

• Audit and compliance reporting

Why IAM matters

• Reduces security risk (excess access, orphan accounts)

• Improves productivity (less password friction, faster access)

• Enables compliance (clear ownership, traceability)

• CIAM (Customer Identity & Access Management) manages identity for external users: customers, citizens, members, or subscribers using your digital products and portals.

• Think: “How do customers sign up, log in, manage privacy, and have a smooth experience — securely and at scale?”

• Typical CIAM use cases

• Sign-up / sign-in journeys (email, SMS, social login)

• MFA and risk-based authentication

• Consent management (GDPR privacy preferences)

• Self-service profile updates

• Account recovery flows (“forgot password” done right)

• Handling very large user volumes and peak traffic

• Why CIAM matters

• Better customer experience = higher conversion

• Strong security without damaging the user journey

• Privacy and consent built-in by design
  
   

• When you need IAM

• You likely need IAM if any of these are true:

• Onboarding/offboarding is manual and slow

• Access is granted informally (email requests, no trace)

• You don’t have clear ownership of roles and entitlements

• Audit questions are hard to answer

• Admin access isn’t well controlled

• Multiple systems with inconsistent login experiences

• When you need CIAM

• You likely need CIAM if:

• You have customer portals/apps (or plan to launch them)

• Signup/login is hurting conversion or support volume

• You need strong MFA / fraud protection for customers

• GDPR consent and privacy preferences aren’t managed centrally

• You expect growth, high traffic, or multiple regions/brands

• When do you need both?

• Many organisations need both when they run a digital business and a modern internal IT environment.

• Common scenarios:

• You have internal IAM, but you’re launching a customer portal
  → Add CIAM for external identities (don’t reuse IAM patterns blindly).

• You have CIAM, but internal access is messy and risky
  → Implement or improve IAM to control workforce access.

• B2B platforms or partner ecosystems
  → You may need CIAM for external users and IAM governance internally (plus partner access models).

• Mergers, acquisitions, multiple tenants/domains
  → IAM is key for internal consolidation, while CIAM supports customer continuity across brands.

• A practical rule of thumb

• If the identity belongs to someone working for you → IAM

• If the identity belongs to someone buying from you / using your services → CIAM

• If you do both (most mature companies do) → you need IAM + CIAM with clear boundaries.

• Typical pitfalls (what to avoid)

• Trying to use IAM for customers: internal governance tools often create poor UX and don’t scale for consumer traffic.

• Treating CIAM like “just login”: it impacts conversion, privacy, fraud, and brand trust.

• No ownership model: identities, roles, and access need clear accountability, not just technology.

• How we can help

• At Gigabyte Consultancy, we help you assess your current state, define the right target model, and deliver improvements across IAM and CIAM — from design through implementation, transition, adoption, and ongoing governance.