Why Endpoint Management Should Be Part of Your IGA Strategy?

How vulnerable is your identity governance if your endpoints are left unmanaged?

According to the 2024 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, human mistakes, social engineering, or misuse were involved in 74% of breaches. But what’s often missed is that many of those actions happen on unmanaged devices. 

Think about laptops at the airport, public Wi-Fi on phones, or tablets that are sneaking business data through backdoors; all of these are quietly bypassing your identity policies. If an endpoint isn't managed, it’s like leaving a door wide open for attackers, even if your IGA controls are super tight. 

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This blog will show you why you can't treat endpoint management as just another IT task and how it directly impacts the effectiveness of your Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) strategy.

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TL;DR 

• Unmanaged endpoints are a key identity security gap; even strong IGA controls fail if devices aren’t properly secured.
• Integrating endpoint management with IGA is crucial; without device checks, attackers can exploit weak or outdated devices.
• Context-aware access is essential; decisions must factor in both user identity and device security to block device-level attacks.
• Automation and real-time monitoring help enforce device trust policies and enable rapid threat response.
• Ongoing user training, audits, and policy updates keep defenses aligned with evolving risks.

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1. Understanding IGA and Endpoint Management

Before diving into the integration of these two concepts, let’s start with what they are and why they matter individually.

Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) is how you manage user identities, access rights, and compliance across your organization. It ensures the right individuals have the right access to the right resources, no more, no less.

This includes provisioning new users, reviewing access regularly, and enforcing compliance with both internal policies and external regulations.

On the other hand, Endpoint Management focuses on keeping track of all the devices that connect to your network, like laptops, phones, desktops, and tablets. It makes sure that every device is secure, updated, compliant, and set up correctly before it can access company information.

Here’s how they break down:

• IGA focuses on users: Who they are, what they can access, and whether that access is justified.
• Endpoint Management focuses on devices: What’s being used to access your systems, and whether those endpoints are secure.

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2. Why Devices Matter in Identity Security

You’ve probably invested in a solid IGA system, automated provisioning, SSO, and role-based access. It all seems very secure for now.

But here's the gap no one talks about: your users don’t just log in, they log in from somewhere.

And that “somewhere” is a device. A device that may be:

• Outdated and missing critical patches
• Running unauthorized software
• Accessing systems over public Wi-Fi
• Not enrolled in your MDM or EDR solution

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This creates a hidden blind spot. You’ve secured the identity, but what about the endpoint it's using?

A. Here’s an example to make it simpler:  

Your finance manager accesses the ERP system using a personal tablet at home. The login goes through SSO, and the IGA system approves it. However, it fails to notice that the tablet's operating system hasn't been updated for months, allowing malware to quietly capture keystrokes. 

From the IGA's viewpoint, everything seems normal, but for an attacker, it's an easy way to get into payroll information.

Today’s cyber attacks don’t just steal passwords; they hijack sessions, exploit browser vulnerabilities, or bypass MFA by breaking into the device. This means you can’t look at identity security as a separate issue anymore. 

By linking endpoint management with Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), you build an access system that understands the context, checking not only who the user is but also how and where they are logging in.

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3. Six Reasons to Integrate Endpoint Management with IGA

From personal phones to unmanaged laptops, every endpoint is a potential threat if it’s not secure. Without device visibility, your identity controls are only half effective. That’s where endpoint management steps in. When integrated with IGA, it gives you real-time context

In this section, we’ll break down six key reasons why this integration matters, along with practical tips to help you act on each.

A. Devices Are the New Identity Perimeter

The times when firewalls were the only defense are over. Today, endpoints like laptops and mobile devices act as your new perimeter. If these devices are lost, stolen, or compromised, attackers can bypass traditional identity checks, even MFA.

For example, an employee’s MacBook with an active Slack session could give intruders full access to internal conversations if the device lacks encryption or remote wipe capabilities. Without integrating endpoint visibility into your IGA program, these risks stay invisible.

a. What You Can Do:

Link your endpoint management tool (like Intune or Jamf) with your IGA system to verify device health before granting access to sensitive apps.

b. Why This Matters:

Even if you take away a user's access, an unsecured endpoint might still keep saved sessions or access tokens. Devices aren't just simple tools anymore; they're active entry points. If you're not keeping an eye on them, hackers are.

B. Context-Aware Access Is No Longer Optional

Access should never be based on identity alone. If a user logs in from a jailbroken phone or an outdated OS, your systems should react, either by flagging the login or blocking it entirely.

This level of adaptive access is only possible when endpoint posture is part of the equation. Without it, you're granting access blindly, relying solely on credentials and roles. This can cause a potential breach. 

a. What You Can Do:

Use conditional access policies that factor in endpoint health signals such as encryption, patch level, or threat detections before approving access.

b. Why This Matters:

Hackers are aware of how to take advantage of weak situations. Even users who are verified can be tricked into logging in from risky devices. Without real-time posture checks, your 'verified' user could be an attacker pretending to be someone else.

C. Orphaned Accounts Still Linger on Devices

Even after an employee is offboarded, their credentials or cached sessions might remain active on unmanaged devices. This becomes a silent backdoor for breaches, especially in a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environment.

Imagine a former contractor’s personal tablet still has access to Google Drive or HubSpot because the device was never monitored or wiped post-offboarding. It's a major compliance failure and a real business risk.

a. What You Can Do:

Combine your IGA system with endpoint tools to automatically revoke device-level access, wipe data, or disable local accounts during deprovisioning.

b. Why This Matters:

Orphaned sessions are time bombs. They're often overlooked because identity systems assume “access revoked” means “problem solved.” In reality, the breach window stays wide open without device-level actions.

D. SaaS Access Is Increasingly Device-Agnostic

With apps like Asana, Zoom, and Google Meet available from any browser or phone, users are logging in from everywhere, and from everything. While this boosts productivity, it expands your attack surface.

IGA alone can't tell if someone is logging in from a secure company laptop or an unsecure friend’s laptop. But endpoint management can, and it can enforce restrictions accordingly.

a. What You Can Do:

Set access policies that allow only compliant, enrolled devices to access critical SaaS apps, regardless of where the login originates.

b. Why This Matters:

Logging in from a device you don't trust is still risky. Your IGA must evolve to recognize that context is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. Device-agnostic access demands posture-aware control.

E. Shadow IT Thrives Without Device Visibility

When IT can’t see what devices employees are using, it also loses sight of unsanctioned SaaS use. This is how shadow IT creeps in: when staff start using unapproved tools for convenience, bypassing controls entirely.

Let’s say a sales rep downloads a Chrome extension that connects with your CRM. If it’s installed on an unmanaged laptop, it could leak sensitive deal data to third parties, and you’d never know until it’s too late.

a. What You Can Do:

Leverage endpoint monitoring to detect usage of unsanctioned apps and extensions, and feed that data into your IGA to trigger alerts or remediation workflows.

b. Why This Matters:

Shadow IT isn’t just a productivity risk, it’s a security blind spot. Without endpoint signals, your governance policies are working in the dark. You can’t secure what you can’t see.

F. Regulatory Pressure Is Tied to Device Security

From HIPAA and SOC 2 to GDPR, nearly every major compliance framework now expects organizations to track not just who accesses data, but also from where and on what. Ignoring endpoint risk could lead to failed audits or hefty fines.

During a compliance check, if you can't demonstrate endpoint controls (like device encryption or remote wipe), your IGA documentation alone won’t be enough.

a. What You Can Do:

Build audit-ready access logs by tying device compliance status with identity events, ensuring every access attempt is both governed and secured.

b. Why This Matters:

Auditors are no longer satisfied with access control lists, they want proof of security at the device level. If your endpoints are unmonitored, your audit trail is incomplete, no matter how strong your IGA is.

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4. Best Practices for Implementation

Now that we’ve covered why integrating endpoint context with IGA is critical, let’s walk through how to make it work in practice. These steps will help you strengthen your identity program with real-world, device-aware controls.

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A. Start With Visibility

Before you can secure devices, you need to know what’s out there. This starts with gaining full visibility into every device, whether it’s company-issued, BYOD, or used by contractors, that accesses your network or SaaS apps.

Deploy endpoint discovery tools like Kandji, Jamf, or Microsoft Intune to scan your environment and identify all active endpoints. Don’t just stop at inventory, monitor device posture too: OS version, encryption status, installed apps, and patch levels.

Once this data is collected, integrate it into your IGA platform so access decisions are informed by the state of the device, not just the identity requesting access.

a. Takeaway:

Unmanaged devices are often the first blind spot exploited in breaches. Visibility is your first, and arguably most important, line of defense.

B. Define Device Trust Policies

Not all devices should be treated equally. You need to establish clear, non-negotiable policies that define what constitutes a “trusted” device in your organization.

These policies should cover conditions such as:

• Is the device encrypted?
• Is the OS up to date and free of known vulnerabilities?
• Does it have approved antivirus or EDR tools running?
• Is it jailbroken, rooted, or running unknown firmware?
  
  

Use this framework to segment devices into trust levels, fully trusted, partially trusted, or untrusted, and define what kind of access each level should have. Then, enforce these policies dynamically through your IGA solution or conditional access engine.

a. Takeaway:

Your trust posture should adapt based on real-time signals, not static lists. A trusted device today could become a liability tomorrow if it’s compromised.

C. Automate Policy Enforcement

You can’t manually monitor and enforce device policies at scale. As your organization grows, automation becomes essential.

Connect your device management platform with your IGA system. This lets you pull real-time device posture data and use it to automatically allow, deny, or limit access based on the risk score or compliance state of the endpoint.

For instance:

• If a device is outdated, trigger step-up authentication.
• If malware is detected, automatically suspend the session or restrict access to sensitive apps.

a. Takeaway:

Automation helps eliminate human error and speeds up response times when devices become threats.

D.  Educate Your Users

Technology alone can’t solve everything. Your people are part of your security posture, too, and their devices are often the weakest link.

Run regular awareness programs to help users understand:

• Why device hygiene matters
• How to detect phishing and suspicious apps
• How to use VPNs on public Wi-Fi
• The risks of jailbreaking devices or ignoring OS updates

Make it easy for them to comply by offering tools and guides. For example, set up self-service portals for software updates or device enrollment.

a. Takeaway:

A well-informed user is a security asset. The fewer risky behaviors your team engages in, the fewer threats you’ll have to mitigate.

E. Test, Audit, and Improve

Security is never “set and forget.” You need to routinely test how well your policies are working and where they fall short.

Schedule quarterly audits of:

• Device compliance logs
• Access history by device type or risk score
• Incident reports involving endpoint-related breaches

Run tabletop exercises to simulate device compromise scenarios. Ask: If a senior executive’s laptop gets stolen, what happens? Can your IGA system revoke access immediately? Are cached sessions still active?

Use findings to refine policies, strengthen integrations, and close gaps.

a. Takeaway:

Every audit uncovers hidden risks. Continuous improvement ensures you stay ahead of evolving threats and compliance expectations.

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5. Final Words

Endpoint management and IGA should no longer operate in isolation. In an environment where employees access SaaS tools from multiple devices, many of which are unmanaged, your identity governance efforts can only go so far without visibility into those endpoints. 

Embedding endpoint management into your IGA strategy secures both identities and the devices they rely on, enabling contextual access, policy compliance, and quicker response to threats.

But here’s the big question: How do you keep up when your SaaS stack spans hundreds of apps and endpoints across different teams, locations, and shadow IT channels?

That’s where Cloudeagle.ai steps in. It helps strengthen your SaaS security by streamlining access management, enforcing access control policies, and protecting against threat actors. 

Book a demo today and take control of your SaaS security with CloudEagle.ai. 

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6. Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What is the IGA strategy?
An IGA strategy governs user identities, access rights, and compliance across systems, ensuring only the right individuals access the right resources at the right time.

2. What are the benefits of IGA solutions?
IGA solutions improve security, automate access controls, reduce insider threats, ensure compliance, and provide visibility into user permissions across your IT environment.

3. What is IGA in identity and access management?
IGA (Identity Governance and Administration) is a framework within IAM that manages user identity lifecycles, enforces policies, and audits access to maintain security and compliance.

4. What is endpoint management?
Endpoint management is the practice of monitoring, securing, and managing devices like laptops, mobiles, and desktops that connect to your organization’s network.

5. What is an endpoint with an example?
An endpoint is any device connected to a network, like a laptop, smartphone, or tablet. For example, your employee’s work-issued laptop is an endpoint.

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