OM-IND-0003: Identity Average TCO (Indicator)

IAM Governance

OM-IND-0003

Identity Average TCO

Average Total Cost of Ownership per Managed Active Identity

1.2 Ready for peer review

This indicator is an improvement of the OM-IND-0002: IAM TCO (Indicator). It changes the measurement scale to the average TCO per identity, making the indicator comparable between organizations and through time. Here, per identity means per active identity managed by the organization.

Refer to OM-IND-0002: IAM TCO (Indicator) for a discussion TCO applied to IAM and IAM Cost Measurement Methodology for a discussion on the measurement approach.

IAM is composed of process clusters that manage identities of highly different nature. It is doubtful that summing all these identities together would convey any valuable meaning, but TCO is highly relevant at cluster level (providing that the organization does manage these clusters). The Identity Average TCO indicator is composed of the following series:

• Core Identity Average TCO = The average TCO of a core identity.

• Privileged Identity TCO = The average TCO of a privileged identity.

• Federated Identity TCO = The average TCO of a federated identity*.

• Customer Identity TCO = The average TCO of a customer identity.

*. Doubts may be expressed on whether the identity is the right measurement unit in the context of identity federation. The organization level may be more appropriate.

cf. OM-IND-0002: IAM TCO (Indicator) for the base indicator.

• Core Identity Average TCO = Core IAM TCO / # core identities

• Privileged Identity TCO = PAM TCO / # privileged identities

• Federated Identity TCO = Federation IAM TCO / # federated identities

• Customer Identity TCO = CIAM TCO / # customer identities

Currency This indicator is expressed in the organization’s reference currency.

This indicator is comparable between organizations.

This indicator is comparable across time.

If the TCO consolidates costs in multiple currencies, the effect of foreign exchange rates may be significant. Depending on the indicator’s usage (e.g. measuring global versus regional performance in large organizations), this effect need to be specifically accounted for (i.e. historical forex rates vs current forex rates).

• CISO (Stakeholder - IAM)

• IAM Management (Stakeholder)

• Top Management (Stakeholder)

In large organizations where IAM is organized in regions or otherwise, the indicator may be measured at both global and regional levels.

cf. OM-IND-0002: IAM TCO (Indicator) for TCO negative effects.

See IAM Cost Measurement Methodology for a discussion on how to measure IAM TCO.

Yearly.

• OM-IND-0002: IAM TCO (Indicator) Base Indicator

• A General Inventory of Empirical Identities (Research Note - IAM)

• Core Identity (Dictionary Entry)

• OM-IND-0002: IAM TCO (Indicator)

• IAM Cost Measurement Methodology

• IAM Cost Components

• Total Cost of Ownership (Dictionary Entry)