Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) in Salesforce

Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) is a critical framework that enables organizations to manage and control user identities and their access rights efficiently across enterprise systems, including cloud platforms like Salesforce. While Salesforce is primarily known for its CRM capabilities, it often acts as a core business platform that stores and processes sensitive data. Integrating IGA within the Salesforce ecosystem is critical to securing access, ensuring compliance, and minimizing risk.

What is Identity Governance and Administration (IGA)?

IGA is a subset of Identity and Access Management (IAM) that focuses on the governance of digital identities and the administration of access privileges across systems.

• Identity Governance: Focuses on visibility, policy enforcement, role management, segregation of duties, attestation, analytics, and reporting related to user identities and their access.
• Identity Administration: Deals with the operational aspects such as provisioning and de-provisioning user accounts, managing credentials, entitlements, and lifecycle management of identities.

Together, these components provide a comprehensive approach ensuring that:

• The right individuals have the right access to the right resources at the right time – This means only authorized users (based on their job or role) can access sensitive or important systems/data — for example, a sales rep can access customer records, but not payroll data.
• Access is granted in a compliant and auditable manner – Every time access is given or changed, it should follow proper approval processes, and logs should be maintained so auditors can review who had access and why. This helps companies follow laws like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation, a European Union (EU) law that protects the privacy and personal data of individuals in the EU) or HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a U.S. law designed to protect of health-related data).
• User permissions are reviewed, certified, and revoked when no longer needed – Regular checks (called access reviews) must happen to ensure no one keeps access they don’t need anymore — like employees who changed roles or left the company. It avoids risks like over-permissioned users or ex-employees still having access.

IGA encompasses functionalities such as:

• Role-based Access Control (RBAC) – A method of granting permissions to users based on their job roles. For example, a “Sales Manager” role may have access to reports, while a “Sales Rep” only has access to leads and contacts.
• Identity Lifecycle Management – Covers the entire process of creating, modifying, and deactivating user accounts as people join, move, or leave an organization.
• Access Reviews and Certifications – Regular checks (quarterly or semi-annually) to verify if users still need the access they’ve been given. It helps to revoke unnecessary permissions and stay compliant.
• Policy Enforcement and Segregation of Duties (SoD) – Making sure rules are followed — like not allowing the same user to approve and process payments. SoD prevents conflicts of interest and fraud.
• Audit Trails and Compliance Reporting – Tracking who accessed what, when, and why. These logs help companies prove compliance during audits and investigate suspicious activities.

Why is IGA Important in Salesforce?

Salesforce stores a significant amount of sensitive business data, including customer records, financials, health data (via Health Cloud), and more. Because multiple teams across departments and geographies interact with Salesforce, managing who can access what becomes a complex challenge. Without proper IGA practices, companies may face:

• Unauthorized access to sensitive records
• Violations of data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA)
• Audit failures due to lack of access visibility
• Insider threats and privilege misuse

Implementing IGA in Salesforce helps organizations:

• Limit unauthorized access by assigning users only the permissions required for their specific roles.
• Streamline the user lifecycle by automating tasks like employee onboarding, role transitions, and account deactivation.
• Maintain compliance with industry regulations by providing audit trails and access reviews.
• Enhance security posture through integration with identity and access management (IAM) controls like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Single Sign-On (SSO).

Key IGA Components in the Salesforce Ecosystem

1. User Provisioning and De-provisioning:
2. Automatically creating, updating, or disabling user accounts in Salesforce based on role or HR data.
3. Integration with identity providers (e.g., Okta, Azure AD) to sync user status across applications.

• Access Certifications:
  • Periodic review of user access rights within Salesforce to validate whether the assigned privileges are still necessary.
  • For example, approvals routed to managers, or system owners to certify or revoke access.

• Role Management:
  • Defining roles in alignment with job functions to ensure consistent access.
  • Leveraging Salesforce profiles, roles, and permission sets to model least privilege access.
  • Minimizes privilege creep, where users accumulate excessive permissions over time, and supports the principle of least privilege, a cornerstone of secure access management.

• Policy Enforcement and Compliance:
  • To prevent fraud and errors, IGA enforces segregation of duties (SoD) by ensuring conflicting roles or permissions are not assigned to the same user.
  • Monitoring policy violations and triggering automated remediation.
  • For example, a user who can approve expenses should not be the same person who creates vendor records in Salesforce. 

• Audit and Reporting:
  • Maintaining a historical log of user access changes and certifications.
  • Generating audit-ready reports for compliance and internal review.
  • Supporting security monitoring, audit readiness, and informed decision-making by IT and compliance teams.

• Integration with Salesforce Security Features:
  • Salesforce enforces security through features like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Single Sign-On (SSO), and OAuth 2.0 hybrid flows for secure authorization.
  • IGA complements these by managing who is entitled to use these features and under what conditions.
  • For example, MFA auto-enablement in Salesforce helps secure user logins, while IGA tools govern who must comply with MFA policies and track enforcement.

Best Practices for Implementing IGA in Salesforce

1. Assemble a Cross-Functional Team – IGA impacts multiple departments beyond IT, including HR, compliance, and business units. A collaborative team ensures that identity policies align with business needs and regulatory requirements.

• Understand Business Drivers – Define clear objectives such as improving security, achieving compliance, or reducing operational overhead. This focus guides IGA’s scope and priorities.
• Leverage Salesforce Native Features – Use Salesforce’s built-in role hierarchies, permission sets, and security controls as the foundation for IGA. Extend these with third-party IGA tools for automation, governance, and reporting.
• Follow the Principle of Least Privilege – Provide users with only the essential access required to perform their assigned duties. Use permission sets and roles to define fine-grained access.
• Use Profiles and Permission Sets Strategically – Avoid role explosion by using permission sets for modular access. Instead, leverage permission set groups and automated flows to assign permissions dynamically and efficiently.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – As a part of identity governance, enforce MFA for all users to strengthen authentication.
• Conduct Regular Access Reviews – Schedule quarterly or semi-annual access certifications. Use IGA tools or Salesforce reports to identify inactive or over-privileged users.
• Document Access Control Policies – Maintain clear documentation of your access control strategy. This is vital for audits and onboarding new administrators.
• Monitor and Audit Activity Logs – Leverage Salesforce Shield or external SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tools to track login history, field changes, and administrative activities.

Final Thoughts

As Salesforce becomes more embedded in critical business processes, securing access through robust Identity Governance and Administration becomes non-negotiable. IGA not only strengthens your Salesforce org’s security posture but also streamlines user lifecycle management and satisfies auditors and regulators.

By integrating IGA principles and tools with Salesforce’s native security features, enterprises can automate user lifecycle management, enforce least privilege, ensure segregation of duties, and maintain regulatory compliance. This holistic approach not only protects sensitive data but also enhances operational efficiency and user experience in the Salesforce environment.

Implementing IGA in Salesforce requires a strategic, collaborative, and iterative approach that balances security with usability, positioning organizations to thrive in today’s complex digital landscape.