Why do I need NHIM if I already have a great IGA tool?

If you are reading this blog, you probably already recognize this shift, but here's a short recap: Non-human identities (NHIs) now outnumber human users by at least 20 to 1; some estimates put it at 50 to 1. This isn’t just a shift; it’s a fundamental change in the identity landscape.

Just as the Internet and remote access expanded the security perimeter from the corporate network to users and their identities, cloud, SaaS, and API-driven architectures have pushed it further to individual resources and the non-human identities that control their access.

The rapid increase in non-human identities has necessitated the development of a new security model.

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What Is Identity Governance and Administration (IGA)?

Identity Governance and Administration, is at the center of IT operations. IGA platforms provide centralized control over human identity lifecycles through automated provisioning, access certification, and privilege management. The primary focus remains on governing employee access rights, role assignments, and compliance requirements across enterprise applications and systems.

IGA solutions excel at enforcing least-privilege access for human users through structured workflows and policies. Built-in capabilities include:

• User provisioning/deprovisioning based on HR events.
• Access requests/approvals to manage role assignments.
• Periodic access reviews to ensure ongoing compliance
• Compliance reporting that meets regulatory requirements.

IGA is centered around human identity governance, not machine-to-machine access and authorization patterns.

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What Is Non-Human Identity Management (NHIM)?

Non-Human Identity Management focuses on NHIs, from API keys and service accounts to bots, tokens, and certificates. In the enterprise environment, NHIs enable secure machine-to-machine access, authentication, and automated workflows across cloud platforms, applications, and services.

The core difference between human and non-human identity management lies in how NHIs operate: they're created dynamically by systems and developers without centralized oversight or structured processes. A single misconfigured service account or exposed API key can lead to a major security breach, making proper NHIM critical for risk reduction.

The lifecycle of non-human identities requires specialized management approaches:

• Provisioning and Ownership: Applications and services generate NHIs on demand, often without a clear ownership assignment, creating accountability gaps and potential security blind spots.
• Usage and Dependencies: Each NHI connects other systems and resources, creating complex webs of dependencies that must be mapped and monitored to prevent operational disruptions.
• Rotation and Expiration: API keys, secrets, and certificates require regular rotation schedules to minimize the risk of compromise while maintaining system availability.
• Decommissioning: Stale or unused NHIs frequently remain active long after their intended purpose ends, expanding the attack surface unnecessarily.

NHIM platforms address each lifecycle stage through automation: continuously discovering new identities, enforcing access policies, monitoring usage patterns, and safely decommissioning unused credentials. The result is a stronger security posture without sacrificing operational efficiency.

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Key Differences Between IGA and NHIM

How IGA and NHIM Work Together

Identity Governance and Administration platforms excel at managing human identities. Non-Human Identity Management specializes in machine-to-machine access and authentication. When combined, both solutions create a complete identity security strategy, from employees, suppliers and vendors to service accounts, API keys, and certificates.

The relationship works like a well-oiled machine: IGA handles employee access rights and certifications, while NHIM automates the discovery and management of NHIs. For security teams, integrating NHIM with existing IGA investments fills critical visibility gaps across hybrid cloud environments.

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Best Practices for Enterprise Governance

Modern enterprises face a clear challenge: aligning Identity Governance and Administration with Non-Human Identity Management while maintaining security and efficiency. Success requires specific, actionable practices that bridge human and NHI management without creating new blind spots or operational friction.

Zero-Trust Principles

• Least Privilege Implementation: Every human or non-human identity receives minimal access rights needed for operations. Regular automated reviews detect and remove unnecessary permissions, while strict workflows govern privilege increases.
• Identity Segmentation: NHIs should be separated based on function, environment, and risk level. Strong boundaries between segments should prevent unauthorized lateral movement and limit the blast radius of potential compromises.

Cloud-Native Tooling

• Multi-Cloud Coverage: Select platforms natively integrate with AWS, Azure, GCP, and major SaaS providers. Native integrations eliminate gaps between environments and provide unified visibility across the entire infrastructure.
• Hybrid Environment Support: Deploy solutions capable of managing modern cloud services and traditional on-premises systems. Seamless operation across Active Directory, legacy applications, and cloud resources maintains consistent security controls.

Real-Time Discovery

• Shadow IT Prevention: Automated scanners detect unauthorized service accounts, API keys, and NHIs as soon as they appear. Immediate detection stops security risks from unmanaged credentials before they accumulate.
• Identity Source Integration: Connect to all identity providers, secret vaults, and logging systems to maintain accurate NHI inventory. Consolidated data streams enable rapid detection of suspicious patterns and potential vulnerabilities.

Your organization needs visibility across all identity types. Oasis integrates with existing IGA investments to create a complete identity security program, covering everything from employees to service accounts, API keys, and machine identities.

Ready to see how? Schedule a demo and learn how leading enterprises secure their entire identity ecosystem.