Identity and access management sits underneath almost every other system an organization runs — a wrong-fit IAM platform doesn't just underperform on its own, it creates friction and workarounds across every application it's supposed to secure. Because the pain from a bad fit often shows up months after go-live rather than during the sales process, IAM deserves more structured due diligence than its "back office" reputation usually gets.
Every IAM vendor will say they integrate with "your existing stack." Get a specific, written list of which of your actual applications have native, supported integrations versus which would require custom connectors or manual workarounds — the gap between those two categories is where implementation timelines and costs blow up.
Confirm support for the specific multi-factor methods your workforce and any external users will actually tolerate — a platform that only supports SMS-based MFA when your compliance requirements or user base need FIDO2/passkey support is a mismatch that surfaces at rollout, not before.
Manual offboarding is one of the most common sources of security incidents — a former employee's access that wasn't revoked promptly. Confirm automated deprovisioning tied to HR system triggers, not a manual checklist step someone has to remember.
For any regulated industry, confirm the platform's audit logs actually satisfy your specific compliance reporting requirements — not a generic "compliance-ready" claim. Ask to see a sample audit report before signing.
Per-user, per-application, and tiered-feature licensing models all exist in this category, and it's common for organizations to move up a tier unexpectedly once they need a specific feature (like advanced conditional access policies) that was gated behind a higher-cost plan. Get the full tier structure and pricing in writing before assuming the initial quote is the real cost.
Since IAM sits underneath everything, switching providers later is disproportionately disruptive. Confirm what happens to identity data, configured policies, and integration work if the relationship ends — before signing, not when trying to leave.
Most of these gaps aren't visible in a vendor demo — they surface during implementation or months into production use. A structured, vendor-neutral evaluation against this checklist before signing is standard practice in a MALA advisory engagement. Talk to an advisor before your next IAM renewal or selection.