IAM Certification Types and Benefits
This article describes various IAM certification types and benefits offered by Identity Management Institute to global IAM professionals and vendors. Certification refers to the validation of certain assertions and qualifications of a person, program, product, or service based on predefined criteria. The validation process is often, but not always, accomplished through examination and assessment. An examination refers to an audit of a person’s knowledge through a test or an organization’s assertions regarding its products, services, or programs based on evidence provided by the audit subject. An assessment is a review of certain information based on predefined criteria when an examination can not be performed or evidence is not available.
IAM Certification Types
Identity Management Institute offers various types of IAM certifications to its members and customers in order to confirm certain assertions and qualifications.
The following is a high-level list of various certification types offered by IMI which we will explain in detail in later sections:
- Professional Certification for Identity and Access Management Practitioners
- Product and Service Certification
- Identity and Access Management Program Certification
Certification Purpose and Benefits
There are primarily 2 reasons why individuals and companies pursue IAM certification.
First, individuals may want to learn certain skills and demonstrate their knowledge through certification by Identity Management Institute. Professional certification increases one’s credibility, employability, as well as confidence, and sense of belonging to an international organization dedicated to identity and access management.
Second, organizations may seek an independent assessment by experts to:
a) improve their programs and processes, products and services for the purposes of regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, as well as customer acquisition and retention, and
b) demonstrate to others that their assertions regarding their programs, products, or services have been independently validated by an independent party. The certification process helps others make buying decisions based on validated information and helps the certified subject promote its brand and market its solutions.
Professional Certification
Professional certification is the process by which a person proves that he or she meets the requirements set forth by Identity Management Institute. The proof comes in the form of a certificate which is granted after the person passes an exam or provides the required information when an exam is not available for a particular certification program.
Benefits of Professional Certification
As mentioned earlier, individuals learn certain skills and demonstrate their knowledge through the certification process. Also, professional certification increases credibility, employability, and a sense of confidence and belonging to an international organization dedicated to identity and access management.
For its part, Identity Management Institute aims to:
- Provide a standard of knowledge requisite for certification through Critical Risk Domains™; thereby assisting employers, consumers, the public, and members of the identity management profession.
- Establish and measure the level of knowledge required for identity and access management practitioners.
- Formally recognize those individuals who meet the application requirements, pass the IMI examination, or meet the eligibility requirements.
- Encourage continued personal and professional growth through Continuing Professional Education.
All identity management practitioners are encouraged to get certified in the growing and promising identity management field. Our certification page offers details about our professional certification programs. Also, below is a high-level view of the certification programs. Click the image to visit the certification page for more details:
Product and Service Certification
If your organization offers a product or service to businesses and/or consumers in the identity and access management space, it is highly advised to partner with Identity Management Institute to certify your product or service offering.
In the competitive Identity and Access Management (IAM) marketplace, vendors are always encouraged to promote their solutions through product or service certification which includes a review and testing process by Identity Management Institute to validate that certified products and services meet certain standards and comply with stated specifications or claims. Customers always prefer verified information from a third party about products and services that they plan to purchase and use.
Visit the product certification page to learn more.
Program Certification
Considering that poor identity and access management practices cause the majority of system breaches and regulatory compliance requirements are increasing, companies and their management must wonder how well their IAM programs are designed and operating in order to minimize risks and comply with regulations.
There are many aspects of an Identity and Access Management program that can be considered for certification including but not limited to:
- Customer Identification and Know Your Customer (KYC) programs
- Identity Theft Prevention Program (Red Flags Rule)
- On-boarding and Off-boarding processes
- Access Provisioning and De-provisioning
- Access review and validation (annual access certification)
Visit the program certification page to learn more.
Certification Process
The independent certification by IMI is accomplished through various techniques which may include but are not limited to review, examination, and assessment.
Company and Service Provider Membership
Global companies which provide identity management services may apply for service provider membership in order to combine their marketing objectives with employee training and certification to achieve maximum exposure and impact.
Service provider membership provides extensive opportunities for market exposure, brand recognition, employee growth, and business development through unique and exceptional features including training, certification, website listing, referrals, and much more.
Click here to learn more about IAM service provider membership.
Accredited Auditors
An interested audit organization may register with IMI to become an approved auditor for the purposes of product, service, and program certification. Accreditation ensures that registered audit bodies follow a pre-approved audit approach designed by IMI. By joining IMI, registered audit organizations will gain the confidence of their clients and receive referrals by being listed on the IMI website as registered auditors.
