Definition
An identity life cycle refers to the stages a person’s digital identity passes through in a certain system. It involves account configuration, updates, access controls, and account deactivation when it is no longer active.
The phrase ‘identity life cycle’ may be applied to any digital identity, from a social media platform user to an employee.
Identity Life Cycle Stages
Below are the stages in the identity lifestyle cycle.
- Account creation: An employee or user creates a digital account and launches a digital identity.
- Authentication and authorization: When signing in, the user must authenticate their identity, possibly via tokens or biometrics.
- Verification: Users may be required to verify their identities with government-issued IDs or similar documents.
- Access management: Users are provided with necessary access and permissions.
- Update profile: The user may need to update their information to remain accurate.
- Account recovery: Users may ask the system to restore their accounts if they forget their passwords.
- Security measures: The identity life cycle functions include protecting user accounts with measures like multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Monitoring: Systems track user activities to detect and counteract suspicious activities like account hijacking.
- Deletion or deactivation: The system deletes or deactivates a user’s account when the user leaves the platform or organization.