Overview
Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the discipline covering the creation, authorization, authentication and removal of every digital identity in an organization. Privileged Access Management (PAM) is its most critical sub-domain: it vaults, controls on a per-session basis and records high-privilege access such as domain administrators, database administrators, root accounts, network device administrator accounts and the service accounts used by applications. Together, they are the foundation that allows an organization to answer the question "who accessed what, when and why?" with evidence at any moment.
Today, most attacks start not with a technical vulnerability but with a compromised identity. A password stolen through phishing, a shared administrator account or a service password embedded in code lets an attacker move directly from the inside without ever having to get past the firewalls. This is why ransomware operators target privileged accounts first in order to spread across the network. In the Zero Trust approach, where perimeter security gives way to identity-centric security, identity is regarded as the new security perimeter.
From a technical standpoint, a modern IAM & PAM architecture consists of multiple layers: identity providers such as Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Okta or Keycloak; single sign-on (SSO) with SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0; multi-factor authentication (MFA) based on FIDO2/WebAuthn, TOTP and push; automated account provisioning and deprovisioning with SCIM; password vaulting, session isolation and recording with PAM platforms such as CyberArk, BeyondTrust and Delinea; and access reviews and segregation of duties (SoD) controls with Identity Governance and Administration (IGA). Having these layers work together and with the SIEM matters more than any individual product.
When identity and privileged access management is neglected, risks accumulate quickly. Typical findings include accounts left open after employees leave, local administrator passwords that have not been changed for years, shared "admin" accounts that everyone knows, uncontrolled supplier VPN access, and privilege creep, where nobody can explain who is authorized for which system and why. This situation does more than increase the risk of a breach: it leads to serious findings in KVKK (Turkish Personal Data Protection Law), BDDK (Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency) regulatory, ISO 27001 and PCI-DSS audits, to administrative fines, and to the inability to carry out a forensic investigation after an incident.
Indexline treats IAM & PAM not as a one-off product installation but as a continuously operated managed service. We start by discovering your existing identity infrastructure and privileged account inventory, design the target architecture according to your organization's risk profile and regulatory obligations, and roll it out along a phased roadmap. After go-live, day-to-day operation of the platform is handed over to the Indexline team under an SLA, so your in-house team can focus on business priorities instead of maintaining identity infrastructure, while your identity security maturity continues to improve measurably.
How It Works
Discovery and Inventory: Active Directory, cloud identity providers, servers, databases, network devices and applications are scanned; all human and machine identities and privileged accounts are inventoried.
Risk and Compliance Analysis: Privilege creep, shared accounts, password age, MFA coverage and orphaned accounts are analyzed; a gap report is prepared against KVKK, ISO 27001 and sector-specific regulatory requirements.
Target Architecture Design: The identity provider, SSO/MFA, PAM vault, session management and IGA components are designed around the organization's existing infrastructure and budget; the role model (RBAC/ABAC) and least-privilege policies are defined.
Identity Federation and SSO: Enterprise applications are connected to the central identity provider via SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect; conditional access and risk-based MFA policies are put into effect.
Privileged Account Vaulting: Administrator and service accounts are brought into the PAM vault, passwords are placed under automatic rotation, and passwords embedded in applications and scripts are eliminated with secrets management.
Session Management and JIT Access: Administrator access is isolated and recorded through a session proxy; instead of standing privileges, an approval-based, time-limited Just-in-Time access model is applied.
Lifecycle Automation: The HR system is integrated as the identity source; account creation, privilege updates and deactivation during onboarding, role changes and offboarding are automated with SCIM and workflows.
Managed Operations and Continuous Improvement: The platform is monitored 24/7, anomaly alerts are forwarded to the SIEM, quarterly access review campaigns are run, and monthly compliance and risk reports are shared with management.
Key Features
Central SSO and Federation
SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0 provide secure access to cloud and on-premises applications with a single identity, reducing password fatigue and help desk workload.
Adaptive MFA
FIDO2/WebAuthn security keys, push notifications and TOTP options, applied together with conditional authentication policies based on device, location and risk score.
Privileged Account Vault
Administrator, root and service account passwords are stored in an encrypted vault and changed automatically after use or periodically; nobody knows the permanent password.
Session Monitoring and Recording
RDP, SSH and database administrator sessions are isolated through a proxy and recorded at video and command level; sessions can be terminated instantly when risky commands are issued.
Just-in-Time Access
Standing administrator privileges are removed; when needed, privileges limited in time and scope are granted through an approval workflow and revoked automatically when they expire.
Identity Lifecycle Automation
HR system integration and SCIM automate joiner-mover-leaver processes; all access for a departing user is shut down within minutes.
Access Reviews and SoD
Managers are assigned periodic privilege certification campaigns, segregation of duties conflicts are detected and all decisions are archived as audit evidence.
Secrets Management
API keys, certificates and database passwords in applications, CI/CD pipelines and container environments are moved out of code and managed centrally and auditably.
Benefits & Advantages
The identity-based attack surface shrinks; a stolen password alone can no longer provide access to critical systems.
Vaulting privileged accounts and JIT access significantly restrict ransomware's ability to move laterally and escalate privileges within the network.
The access logs and review evidence required in KVKK, BDDK, ISO 27001 and PCI-DSS audits are ready and reportable.
Onboarding and offboarding are automated; new employees are productive from day one, and departing employees' access is closed the same day.
SSO and self-service password reset improve the user experience and noticeably reduce password requests reaching the help desk.
Supplier and third-party service provider access is managed through controlled, recorded and time-limited sessions instead of shared VPN accounts.
Platform management, policy maintenance and audit reporting are handed over to Indexline; the in-house team reaches enterprise-grade identity security without the burden of hiring specialists.
Industry Use Cases
Finance & Banking
At a participation bank, 1,200 privileged accounts were brought into the PAM vault and all administrator sessions were recorded; access findings in the BDDK audit dropped to zero in the following period.
Healthcare
At a hospital group, HIS and PACS access was moved to a role-based model and SSO and MFA were rolled out for physicians; unauthorized attempts to access patient data are now reported in real time.
Manufacturing
At an automotive supplier plant, supplier maintenance access to the OT network was managed with JIT and session recording; all permanent VPN accounts were closed.
Public Sector
At a metropolitan municipality, the account lifecycle of 8,000 staff was linked to the HR system; the time to close accounts of departing staff fell from weeks to minutes.
Retail / E-Commerce
At an e-commerce company, administrator and service accounts with access to the payment infrastructure were vaulted and embedded passwords were moved to secrets management; the PCI-DSS audit was completed with no findings.
Telecommunications
In an operator's network operations center, administrator access to thousands of network devices was centralized through PAM; shared device passwords were eliminated entirely through automatic rotation.
The Indexline Approach
The first condition for success in identity security is visibility. Most organizations only learn how many privileged accounts they have after a discovery exercise, and the resulting picture is usually considerably more crowded than expected. That is why Indexline starts every project with automated discovery and inventory; in addition to human identities, service accounts, API keys and machine identities are also covered. Guided by the principle that a risk that cannot be measured cannot be managed, we map out the organization's identity risk landscape with concrete data from day one.
We structure the IAM & PAM transformation not as a single big-bang migration but as a program phased by risk priority. The first phase takes the highest-impact steps: domain administrators and critical server accounts are vaulted, and MFA is made mandatory for remote access and e-mail. SSO coverage is then expanded, lifecycle automation is introduced, and in the final phase access governance and the JIT model are adopted. This approach delivers measurable risk reduction from the very first weeks while minimizing the risk of operational disruption.
When choosing technology, we are driven by needs, not products. An Entra ID-based architecture may suit an organization heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, a Keycloak-based setup may suit one that prefers open source and prioritizes data sovereignty, while an enterprise-class PAM platform may be more appropriate for a bank with complex privileged access requirements. Protecting your existing investments, avoiding unnecessary license costs and building an architecture that remains manageable in the long term are our core priorities.
Identity security cannot last if it conflicts with the user experience. Overly strict policies push users to look for ways around controls, which is exactly how shared passwords and unrecorded access arise. We therefore strike a balance that increases security while making daily work easier, using risk-based conditional access, passwordless authentication and self-service processes. Change management, user training and management briefings are an integral part of every project.
In the managed service model, Indexline's responsibility does not end at go-live; that is where it really begins. Platform health, policy updates, connecting new applications to SSO, access review campaigns and the investigation of anomalies in session recordings are handled continuously by our team. Monthly reports track metrics such as MFA coverage, the share of vaulted accounts, the number of standing privileges and the access review completion rate, so your identity security maturity rises measurably throughout the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between IAM and PAM?
IAM manages the authentication and authorization processes of all users in the organization; SSO, MFA and the account lifecycle fall within its scope. PAM focuses on high-privilege access such as administrator, root and service accounts, providing a password vault, session recording and Just-in-Time privilege granting. An effective identity security program addresses both together.
Do we need to replace our existing Active Directory infrastructure?
No. In most scenarios Active Directory is retained as the identity source. It is connected to the cloud identity provider with Microsoft Entra Connect or similar synchronization tools, and the PAM platform manages AD accounts by vaulting them. Where needed, the existing environment is strengthened through AD tiering and hardening work.
Which PAM and identity platforms do you work with?
We offer design and operations experience with enterprise PAM solutions such as CyberArk, BeyondTrust and Delinea, and with identity providers such as Microsoft Entra ID, Okta and the open-source Keycloak. The platform is selected jointly based on your existing infrastructure, regulatory requirements, budget and operating model.
How are service accounts and application passwords managed?
Service accounts are discovered and their dependencies mapped, then they are brought into the PAM vault and placed under automatic rotation. Passwords embedded in application code, configuration files or CI/CD pipelines are moved to a secrets management solution; applications retrieve the password securely via API at runtime.
Does Just-in-Time access slow administrators down?
Not when it is designed correctly. Pre-approved, automatically granted short-lived privileges are defined for routine tasks; the approval workflow only comes into play for critical systems and unusual requests. Recorded break-glass procedures are prepared for emergencies. Security increases while operational speed is preserved.
How does IAM & PAM contribute to KVKK compliance?
As a technical measure, KVKK requires access to personal data to be limited to authorized persons and access to be logged. Role-based authorization, MFA, privileged session recordings and periodic access review reports provide concrete evidence that meets the authorization matrix, access log and authentication requirements set out in the technical and administrative measures guide published by the Kişisel Verileri Koruma Kurumu (Turkish Personal Data Protection Authority).
How long does a project take, and when will we see the first results?
Although it depends on scope, discovery and design typically take 3-6 weeks. High-impact first steps such as vaulting critical privileged accounts and rolling out MFA usually go live within the first 6-8 weeks. Comprehensive SSO, lifecycle automation and governance phases are completed gradually over the following months.
What does Indexline take on under the managed service?
After platform deployment, Indexline takes on, under an SLA, 24/7 monitoring, version and patch management, policy updates, new application and system integrations, account lifecycle operations, running access review campaigns, investigating session anomalies and monthly compliance reporting. Authority boundaries and approval processes are defined jointly in advance with a RACI matrix.