Companies need IAM migrations for many different reasons. Products reach the end of their lifecycle, the business changes, existing IGA or PAM solutions no longer meet current requirements, or a move from on premises to the cloud is on the agenda.
Each of these triggers is understandable, but each also signals a demanding project. An IAM migration is not a side project that teams can simply handle during regular operations.
What follows is often underestimated. A migration can take months, tie up several teams at once, and carry risks that are not visible at first glance. This article shows what actually happens during an IAM migration, what makes it so complex, and what you should watch for. It also introduces IGA Migration Automation and PAM Migration Automation, a new solution from iC Consult that simplifies this process drastically.
IAM Migration: The Key Facts at a Glance
An IAM migration means far more than moving data from system A to system B. It must also carry over the structures and rules that govern how the company grants, steers, and controls access.
The key facts of an IAM migration:
- What gets migrated: Identities, roles and permission structures, and approval and recertification workflows. A PAM migration also covers privileged accounts, credentials, and passwords.
- Who is involved: Usually the internal IAM and security team, application owners from the business units, and often external integrators or consultants.
- Typical triggers: End of vendor support for the existing platform, a strategic move from on premises to SaaS, a change of vendor, or the consolidation of two identity environments after a merger.
- Typical duration with manual execution: Several months, or longer depending on the size and complexity of the environment.
- The real goal: Not to replicate the existing system one to one in the new system, but to create a clean, well documented, future-ready target environment.
| Dimension | IGA Migration | PAM Migration |
|---|---|---|
| What also gets migrated | Role models, approval and recertification workflows | Privileged accounts, credentials and passwords, session policies |
| Criticality during cutover | Existing access usually stays usable, even if the governance layer is briefly unavailable | Higher operational risk: if PAM goes down, access to the protected systems may no longer be possible |
| Handling of credentials | No password migration required | Credentials are usually not copied but rotated during the migration |
| Integration depth | Many connected target systems, usually with lower integration depth per system | Few target systems, but very deep integration (servers, network devices, session gateways) |
| Compliance focus | Evidence for approvals and recertifications | Complete session recording and control |
What Makes IAM Migrations So Complex? The Biggest Challenges
Several difficulties come together in an IAM migration:
Years of accumulated special rules. Over the years, IGA or PAM environments often collect individual customizations, exception rules, and roles. Someone created them for single departments, and they may no longer be fully documented. Knowledge about these legacy structures can also rest with only a few people or may be lost when employees leave the company. The migration therefore has to decide for each of these structures: keep, clean up, or retire.
Orphaned and duplicate identities. Environments that have grown over time collect dead records, for example accounts of former employees or duplicate identities left after system changes or mergers. Before the migration, the team must clarify which records are still valid and relevant.
No downtime for authentication. Login and access control belong to the functions that can almost never stop. This narrows the time window for the actual cutover considerably.
Highly sensitive data in motion. Access rights are confidential data. A PAM migration adds credentials and passwords for privileged accounts, the accounts that can do the most damage if compromised. Every intermediate step of the migration must be traceable and secured.
Limited capacity in daily operations. Migration projects often run in parallel to live operations. The people involved must keep the running environment going and drive the migration project at the same time. Manual mapping, documentation, and rework therefore tie up valuable capacity.
Dependencies on downstream systems. IAM systems are usually closely connected to many other systems. A platform change must account for these connections, adjust them where needed, and test them without disrupting live operations unnecessarily.
How to Make an IAM Migration Succeed: Key Tips
A few fundamental decisions largely determine whether a migration runs in a controlled and efficient way or turns into a struggle.
Capture the current state completely before you plan. Without up to date documentation of roles and permissions, you can neither map reliably nor clean up in a targeted way.
Clean up before the migration, not after. Anyone who carries over old permission sprawl unchanged ends up with a new platform but the same problems.
Validate every mapping before it runs. Errors that surface only after execution cost much more to fix in production systems.
Think in phases instead of one big leap. Pilot groups, staggered waves, and clear rollback options reduce risk compared with a «big bang» over a weekend.
Keep credentials in a secured pipeline throughout the migration. Every manual intermediate step and every export file adds risk, especially in PAM migrations.
Name one accountable owner with a real mandate. When owners keep changing and the migration runs «on the side», it loses speed and traceability.
Think one step further about the target system. In the future, companies will also need to include AI agents and other Non-Human Identities (NHI) in their permission model. A migration offers the chance to lay the groundwork today. A clean, well documented system is easier to extend for such requirements later.
Speed Up IAM Migrations with IGA and PAM Migration Automation from iC Consult
IAM migrations do not have to take months. With IGA and PAM Migration Automation, iC Consult shortens the migration time of IGA and PAM projects significantly, in many cases from months to a few days. The automated, AI powered migration engine takes over time consuming tasks such as mapping, data cleanup, and documentation, and so speeds up the entire migration process.
IGA and PAM Migration Automation are not a standalone software product. They are part of iC Consult’s migration service. Our consultants use the technology to automate recurring, time consuming tasks and to deliver migrations faster. Expert control stays with people.
The human in the loop principle makes sure that every migration step is reviewed and runs only after approval. Teams can validate mappings in advance, the solution logs every action, and sensitive data stays protected.
The Result:
Months become days: Much shorter migration times
Less manual work: Automated mapping, cleanup, and documentation
More control: Validation and approval by our consultants
More traceability: Complete logging
Secure migration: Sensitive data stays protected throughout the process
IGA and PAM Migration Automation currently support migrations between selected vendors and the move from on premises to cloud based platforms.
Conclusion
IAM migrations are complex, security critical, and often time intensive. At the same time, they offer a great opportunity. With the right approach, the migration becomes the starting point for a modern, optimized solution that fits the needs of your company even better.
With IGA and PAM Migration Automation, iC Consult helps you run IGA and PAM migrations much faster and more efficiently. This reduces effort and project risk and lays the foundation for a future-proof IAM system.
Frequently Asked Questions About IAM Migrations
How long does an IAM migration typically take?
Manually, usually several months, depending on the size and complexity of the environment. With an automated engine such as IGA and PAM Migration Automation, pure execution time drops to days or even minutes. Consultants still plan and approve, but that effort is much smaller.
What is the difference between an IGA and a PAM migration?
An IGA migration transfers identities, roles, and approval workflows. A PAM migration also covers privileged accounts, credentials, and passwords, so the security requirements for the migration process itself are much higher.
Is an automated migration as secure as a manual one?
With IGA and PAM Migration Automation, it is even more secure. A consultant approves every action (human in the loop), the solution validates every mapping before execution, and sensitive data never leaves the secured pipeline. These risks are much higher with manual exports and intermediate steps.
Do I have to migrate my entire IAM environment at once?
No, and it is not recommended either. Staggered waves and pilot groups reduce risk compared with a full «big bang».
