Many enterprises remain locked into legacy Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) systems, which require heavy customization and struggle to scale in hybrid and on-premises environments. Despite years of discussions about modernization, progress has been slow. Nearly four in ten organizations still have not deployed SaaS-based IGA.
Even as the need for IGA grows, organizations grapple with legacy systems that are holding them back, with some even nearing their end of life. Efficient, modern IGA requires a cloud-native approach, but it also requires cultural shifts.
How legacy IGA solutions are hindering modernization efforts
Technical debt and complexity are hindering the progress of modernization. Legacy systems are often understood only by a few long-tenured employees. If those people leave, all that knowledge leaves with them, which makes deciphering the system even harder and increases the fear of change. Modern IGA requires new expertise in SaaS configuration, API integrations, and cloud governance.
Moreover, many legacy tools are so heavily customized that organizations begin to feel dependent on them. Over time, specialized workflows, scripts, and one-off process fixes create the perception that “only our system can do what we need.” This isn’t just technical debt; it becomes an emotional and operational attachment. These systems have been built, tuned, and defended over the years; they feel like the organization’s “baby.” That sense of ownership makes it harder to pursue change, even when modernization offers clear ROI and a more sustainable path forward.
Rigid architecture and limited scalability are also realities. Older systems were designed for static, on-premises environments, rather than hybrid or multi-cloud ecosystems. According to the 2025 State of IGA report, 59% of organizations cited the total cost of ownership as a major weakness in their current IGA system.
There are operational inefficiencies and security risks, too. Manual provisioning, over-permissioning, and poor visibility are common; in fact, 73.9% of respondents to the State of IGA report said they had users with access they don’t need. The business impacts are slower onboarding and offboarding, greater compliance risk, and reduced agility in adopting new SaaS apps.
Legacy identity platforms were never designed for today’s dynamic, AI-driven environments. They remain siloed, rigid, and difficult to integrate with modern architectures, making it nearly impossible to govern emerging identity types or support advanced automation. As organizations adopt new technologies, these outdated systems create gaps in visibility, control, and scalability, reinforcing the need for a modern identity governance approach.
The promise of modern IGA solutions
With a cloud/SaaS-native design, modern IGA eliminates scalability limits, complex custom code, and heavy maintenance burdens. They are built for distributed, hybrid ecosystems with automated provisioning and adaptive policy management. Today‘s solutions offer faster time to value and lower total cost of ownership.
Modern IGAs’ enhanced capabilities may include cloud-based role-based access control, cross-cloud visibility, and AI-driven automation, cited as top investment priorities, as well as continuous compliance and real-time access intelligence.
Ushering in a migration
Moving to modern IGA isn’t simply a lift-and-shift exercise; it requires rethinking governance processes. Organizations must design for flexibility and automation through a new lens. Most organizations today have at least a basic understanding of why they need to adapt, but making it happen isn’t just a technical challenge; it’s also a cultural and change management challenge.
Key considerations for a successful transformation include:
- Understand pain points and stakeholders – A successful transition starts with a clear view of current challenges and who experiences them. Mapping pain points to future-state capabilities helps illustrate precisely how modernization addresses existing inefficiencies and enhances organizational support.
- Make ROI tangible early – it’s essential to focus on demonstrating real value from the start. Establishing clear KPIs aligned with your organization’s priorities ensures a shared understanding of what success looks like and how progress will be measured. From there, collaborative workshops, hands-on demos, and practical walkthroughs of your highest-value use cases help bring those KPIs to life.
- Define a realistic roadmap – prioritize quick wins while setting the foundation for long-term success. By sequencing capabilities in a way that delivers value quickly, without overwhelming your organization, you can begin realizing measurable ROI early in the journey. This approach ensures momentum, builds confidence, and helps drive adoption across the organization.
- Maintain transparent communication and shared success metrics – Modernization succeeds when leadership treats IGA as a strategic business enabler, not just a compliance checkbox. Clear communication, aligned success criteria, and a willingness to adapt processes help teams embrace the change and stay invested throughout the transition.
- Prioritize data readiness – Clean, reliable data is foundational for modern IGA. Ensuring HR and source systems are accurate, consistent, and authoritative reduces onboarding friction and ensures automation works as intended.
Identity Governance for the Cloud Era
The need to modernize IGA isn’t new; companies have recognized this for years. Yet, as noted above, the shift from legacy to modern solutions and practices has moved at a snail’s pace. The typical customization older systems required has been a stumbling block, as has the “comfort” factor of sticking with what’s familiar.
Technology is advancing faster than most organizations can adapt, making it increasingly difficult to know where to modernize first. At the same time, the identity landscape is evolving rapidly, and new access models, hybrid architectures, AI, and shifting regulatory expectations are placing unprecedented pressure on legacy systems. These older tools simply cannot keep pace with today’s operational, security, and scalability demands.
To move forward, organizations need modern, cloud-based identity governance solutions that break the cycle of costly technical debt and rigid, hard-coded processes. Now is the time to transition from legacy technology to SaaS-based IGA. This shift isn’t just a technology upgrade; it’s a cultural evolution that brings the agility and resilience needed to support true modernization and long-term organizational success.
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