How Identity and Access Management Vendors Can Help Prospects Understand IDM and IAM

Identity and Access Management go by more than one name: Identity Management (IDM), Identity and Access Management (IAM), or Access and Identity Management (AIM).

Usage of these terms will vary from one company to the next and even within the same organization, but they all essentially mean the same thing, a package that provides the following benefits:

• Automated provisioning and deprovisioning that makes user onboarding and termination faster and easier
• Better data consistency when data synchronizes across connected systems
• Self-service capabilities
• Higher productivity and lower support costs
• Better regulatory compliance in certain industries

With so much variation on what the service is called, how can a vendor help prospects and clients understand the concept well enough to recognize it as a solution to their problems and challenges?

The answer: gauge that person’s needs and familiarity with the general functions of IDM / IAM first, then start explaining.

Make the Value Known

People grasp a concept much more quickly when it directly relates to something they are feeling or experiencing. With IAM, a provider can appeal to the prospect or client’s need for a streamlined workflow, better data integrity, and higher levels of productivity.

Those who work in heavily regulated industries (such as finance) will appreciate the way the IDM / IAM make compliance easier, especially since a misstep can be a career changer. Make the service matter to them, and they will absorb the concept much more quickly.

Use Their Existing Knowledge to Expand on the Concept

Explaining something by connecting it to what the person already knows is one of the oldest teaching methods still in existence. A prospect may not understand IDM / IAM from a technical perspective, but they will certainly relate to the idea of enabling the right people to have appropriate access to company resources.

Key cards, numeric door locks, and even security guards serve a similar purpose. The more a vendor can use analogies the prospect or client already understands, the better they will absorb the intricacies of IDM / IAM.

Don’t Over-Explain

IAM vendors have an in-depth understanding of the service they are providing, but for many prospects and clients, IDM / IAM is an appealing but bewildering concept. To minimize confusion, leave out details that are not as important to those who are new to the service.

More complex details can be touched on later after the person has learned enough to appreciate the most advanced information. For example, a salesperson can explain how IAM systems set up digital IDs, use them to enforce policies, and track user activities without going into detail about the programming behind the processes.

The primary objective is to help a prospect or customer understand an unfamiliar concept. Complicated terminology and process descriptions will only hinder comprehension—at least at the beginning. Once the person is familiar enough with IDM and IAM to ask advanced questions, the tutorials can evolve accordingly.

Bottom Line

When it comes to explaining new and complicated concepts to people, the trick is to figure out what they already understand; use analogies they can relate to and refrain from excessive use of advanced terminology. When a vendor combines this approach with a sincere explanation of how IDM and IAM can benefit the prospect or client, both a sale and long-term relationship can result.

Do you have a difficult time explaining IDM and IAM to customers? Let us know in the Comments below.

To learn more about how to help identity and access management prospects and clients better understand IDM and IAM, be sure to watch the free, on-demand “Identity Management Revenue Growth Acceleration Q&A Webinar.”