# iga

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/iga/
Last updated: 2026-08-29
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

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Identity Governance and Administration. The discipline of managing who has access to what, why, and for how long. Covers access certification, segregation of duties, joiner-mover-leaver lifecycle, and audit reporting.

IGA is the least glamorous and most audited part of identity, and the discipline where tooling helps least without process. The recurring failure is buying a platform to answer "who has access to what" in an environment where the authoritative data is spread across an HR system, a directory, and dozens of applications with no consistent notion of a user. Connector coverage and data quality decide the outcome, not the product.

See also: [what is IGA](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-iga/), [access certification](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/access-certification/), [joiner-mover-leaver](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/joiner-mover-leaver/), [IGA vendors](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/iga/)