The Importance of a Physical Identity and Access Management System

In today’s interconnected workspace, manual provisioning, updating, and revoking access permissions is less and less viable. In companies of even medium size, the person responsible for managing access rights is often several steps removed from the requester. Emails get sent around for requests, confirmations of requests, and clarifications before access is granted. If someone leaves the company, HR may not remember to contact security to ensure credentials are disabled.

These operational gaps are common in organizations where access control systems operate independently from business systems such as HR databases or identity directories. As organizations grow, manual processes create both administrative burden and security risk.

Industry groups such as the ASIS International have increasingly highlighted the importance of converging identity systems across physical security and enterprise IT so that identity lifecycle events can automatically trigger access provisioning and revocation workflows.

(An ASIS article on the subject may be found here.)

These challenges highlight the need for systems that automate identity-driven access control workflows. Enter the Physical Identity and Access Management (PIAM) system.

What is a PIAM? 

A PIAM is not the access control system (ACS) that manages door controllers and provisions access permissions. It is also not a replacement for the ACS.

Instead, a PIAM complements and augments the ACS.

A PIAM acts as the bridge between identity systems and the security platform, connecting sources of truth such as:

• HR systems

• Identity directories such as Active Directory

• Contractor management systems

• Access control platforms

In this architecture, the PIAM orchestrates identity lifecycle events and communicates them to the access control system.

Many enterprise security platforms now support this model through dedicated PIAM products, such as:

• Genetec ClearID

• AMAG Symmetry Identity Management

• HID SAFE

These platforms focus on identity lifecycle management, workflow approvals, and automated access provisioning across large organizations.

What is the main benefit of a PIAM?

The primary benefit of implementing a PIAM is automation of identity-driven access provisioning.

A new employee is entered into the HR system prior to on-boarding. That information is automatically synchronized to the PIAM platform, which evaluates the employee’s attributes and sends the appropriate information to the access control system for credential creation and permission assignment.

If an employee changes roles and HR updates the database, the PIAM updates the employee’s access rights accordingly. When an employee leaves the organization, the PIAM automatically communicates that status change so credentials can be revoked without requiring manual intervention.

Another major benefit is the ability for users to request access through structured workflows rather than email chains.

When a PIAM is configured properly, ownership of access zones can be delegated across the organization. For example:

• Requests for server room access can route to the IT department

• Requests for warehouse access can route to operations

• Requests for executive areas can route to security leadership

This distributed approval model significantly reduces the operational burden on the security team while maintaining audit trails and accountability.

Incorporating PIAM Into Your Security System Configuration Standards

Organizations deploying enterprise security systems should consider documenting identity workflows and PIAM integrations as part of their security system configuration standards. Defining how identities are provisioned, updated, and revoked ensures the access control platform remains aligned with the organization’s identity governance model over time.

Establishing these standards early helps prevent inconsistent access permissions, reduces operational friction, and ensures the security system continues to function as intended as the organization grows.(See our article here on developing a Security System Configuration Standard for more on this topic.)

Conclusion

A PIAM acts as a force multiplier for organizations looking to streamline access control administration. It automates identity lifecycle management, enables structured access request workflows, and reduces the manual workload associated with credential provisioning.

As organizations continue to integrate their security infrastructure with enterprise identity systems, PIAM platforms are becoming a foundational component of modern security architecture.

If your organization is struggling to manage access permissions through manual processes, contact Porter Security Programming and let’s discuss the PIAM solutions that best fit your environment.