Salesforce IAM vs. Saviynt IAM: A Comprehensive Side-by-Side Guide for Identity & Access Management

 

Salesforce IAM vs. Saviynt IAM: A Side-by-Side Comparison 🔐

Both Salesforce IAM and Saviynt IAM help organizations manage user identities, access, security, and compliance—but in different ways. Let’s break down their key IAM components with real-world examples from both platforms to help you understand them together.

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1️⃣ Identity Management (Who You Are) 👤

Salesforce IAM:

In Salesforce, every user has a User Record with details like Name, Email, Profile, and Role. This identity is stored in Salesforce User Management.

🔹 Example: When a new Sales Executive joins, the Admin creates a Salesforce user, assigning them the Sales Profile & Role. If they move to a management role, their profile is updated, ensuring they get additional permissions.

Saviynt IAM:

Saviynt acts as a central identity hub, integrating with multiple applications (Salesforce, SAP, AWS, etc.). It automates identity creation across all these platforms.

🔹 Example: When an employee joins, Saviynt automatically provisions their account in Salesforce, assigning them the correct profile & permissions. If they change roles, Saviynt updates access across all connected systems.

📌 Key Similarity: Both platforms manage user identities, ensuring each employee gets the right access from the start.

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2️⃣ Access Management (What You Can Access) 🔑

Salesforce IAM:

Salesforce controls access using Profiles, Permission Sets, and Role Hierarchies.

🔹 Example: A customer service agent can view cases but cannot edit billing information due to their assigned Profile. A manager gets broader access based on their Role Hierarchy.

📌 Key Features:
✅ Profiles & Permission Sets: Assign access at a granular level
✅ Role Hierarchy: Determines what users can access based on position
✅ Sharing Rules & Organization-Wide Defaults (OWD): Restrict data access

Saviynt IAM:

Saviynt uses Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) & Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) to define who gets what access across multiple applications.

🔹 Example: A finance analyst in Saviynt automatically receives financial system access based on their role. If they try to access HR data, Saviynt blocks it because it’s outside their job scope.

📌 Key Features:
✅ RBAC & ABAC for Fine-Grained Control
✅ Time-Bound & Just-in-Time Access: Temporary access based on need
✅ User Access Review & Certification to prevent privilege creep

📌 Key Similarity: Both platforms restrict access based on roles to ensure only the right people can view or modify sensitive data.

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3️⃣ Authentication (Prove You Are Who You Say You Are) 

Salesforce IAM:

Salesforce supports Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), requiring users to verify their identity with a one-time password (OTP), biometric login, or security key.

🔹 Example: A Salesforce admin logging in from a new device must enter an OTP sent to their registered email/phone.

📌 Key Features:
✅ Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for added security
✅ Login IP Ranges & Trusted Devices for conditional access

Saviynt IAM:

Saviynt integrates with identity providers like Okta, Microsoft Entra (Azure AD), and Ping Identity for authentication. It enforces adaptive authentication, adding extra security based on user risk.

🔹 Example: If an employee logs in from an unknown country, Saviynt triggers an additional security challenge to verify their identity.

📌 Key Features:
✅ Risk-Based Authentication using AI-driven risk scoring
✅ Password less Authentication with biometrics or FIDO2

📌 Key Similarity: Both platforms support MFA to prevent unauthorized access.

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4️⃣ Authorization (What You Can Do) 

Salesforce IAM:

Salesforce uses Profiles & Permission Sets to define what a user can do inside the system.

🔹 Example:

• A Sales Rep can only view leads but cannot delete them.
• A Marketing Manager has extra permissions to edit campaigns.

📌 Key Features:
✅ Profiles & Permission Sets for granular access control
✅ Field-Level Security (FLS) to restrict access to specific data fields
✅ Custom Permission Sets to grant temporary access

Saviynt IAM:

Saviynt applies fine-grained authorization, dynamically adjusting permissions based on attributes (like job title, location, or department).

🔹 Example: If a finance employee tries to approve an invoice above their limit, Saviynt blocks the action or requests extra approval.

📌 Key Features:
✅ Dynamic Authorization Policies based on real-time risk
✅ Least Privilege Enforcement to prevent excessive access
✅ Segregation of Duties (SoD) Compliance to prevent fraud

📌 Key Similarity: Both platforms enforce authorization rules to prevent unauthorized actions.

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5️⃣ Single Sign-On (SSO) – One Login for Everything 🏡🔑

Salesforce IAM:

Salesforce allows users to log in via SSO providers like Okta, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), or Google Workspace.

🔹 Example: A Sales Manager logs into Okta once and gains automatic access to Salesforce, Slack, and Gmail without re-entering credentials.

Saviynt IAM:

Saviynt integrates with SSO solutions and provides risk-based access. If a user logs in from a risky location, Saviynt can force extra authentication.

🔹 Example: If an executive logs in from an unusual location, Saviynt denies access or enforces MFA before allowing login.

📌 Key Similarity: Both platforms enable SSO to simplify authentication across multiple apps.

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6️⃣ User Provisioning & Deprovisioning (Join, Move, Leave Process) 🔄

Salesforce IAM:

Salesforce admins manually create users or use Automated User Provisioning with external identity providers.

🔹 Example:
1️⃣ A Marketing Executive joins → They get a Salesforce Marketing Cloud account.
2️⃣ They get promoted to Marketing Manager → Their profile & permissions are updated.
3️⃣ They leave the company → Their Salesforce access is revoked to prevent security risks.

📌 Key Features:
✅ Profile Updates & Role-Based Adjustments
✅ Manual & API-Based Deactivation

Saviynt IAM:

Saviynt automates the full user lifecycle across multiple systems.

🔹 Example: A new employee joins, and Saviynt automatically provisions access in Salesforce, SAP, and AWS. If they resign, all access is removed instantly.

📌 Key Features:
✅ Automated Lifecycle Management
✅ Real-Time Deprovisioning & Access Revocation

📌 Key Similarity: Both platforms manage user lifecycles, ensuring timely access updates.

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7️⃣ Audit & Compliance (Tracking & Reporting) 📋

Salesforce IAM:

Salesforce has an Audit Trail feature that logs user activity, configuration changes, and logins for security review.

🔹 Example: If an admin modifies a user’s permissions, the Audit Trail records who made the change, when, and why.

📌 Key Features:
✅ Audit Trail & Field History Tracking
✅ Login History & Session Monitoring

Saviynt IAM:

Saviynt provides detailed compliance reports and risk-based alerts to prevent policy violations.

🔹 Example: If a finance user gains excessive permissions, Saviynt flags it for review and prevents potential fraud.

📌 Key Features:
✅ Automated Compliance Reporting (GDPR, HIPAA, SOX)
✅ AI-Driven Risk Analysis & Alerts

📌 Key Similarity: Both platforms track user activity and help with compliance audits.

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🔹 Salesforce IAM vs. Saviynt IAM: Key Takeaways 

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Final Thoughts 🚀

✅ Salesforce IAM is great for controlling access within Salesforce but may need external IAM tools for enterprise-wide security.
✅ Saviynt IAM is designed for enterprise-wide IAM, handling security across multiple applications, including Salesforce.

Both platforms play a crucial role in securing access and ensuring compliance. If your organization uses Salesforce and other apps, combining Salesforce IAM with Saviynt IAM creates a powerful security framework.