IAM (Identity and Access Management) typically encompasses two main components: Identity Management and Access Management.

1. **Identity Management (IDM)**:
   - **User Provisioning and De-provisioning**: Managing the lifecycle of user accounts, including creating, modifying, and removing them.
   - **Authentication**: Verifying the identity of users attempting to access resources, often through passwords, biometrics, or multi-factor authentication.
   - **Single Sign-On (SSO)**: Allowing users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple systems or applications without needing to re-authenticate.
   - **Identity Federation**: Establishing trust relationships between different identity providers to enable SSO across organizational boundaries.
   - **Directory Services**: Maintaining a centralized repository of user identities and their attributes, often implemented using LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) or Active Directory.
   - **Identity Governance and Administration (IGA)**: Ensuring that the right individuals have the appropriate access to resources, often involving role-based access control (RBAC) and access certification processes.
   - **Self-Service Account Management**: Allowing users to manage certain aspects of their identities, such as password resets or profile updates, without IT assistance.

2. **Access Management**:
   - **Authorization**: Determining what resources users are allowed to access based on their identities and associated permissions.
   - **Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)**: Assigning permissions to users based on their roles within the organization, simplifying access management and ensuring least privilege.
   - **Access Control Lists (ACLs)**: Defining specific permissions for individual users or groups at the resource level.
   - **Access Request and Approval**: Providing a mechanism for users to request access to resources and for designated approvers to grant or deny those requests.
   - **Access Logging and Monitoring**: Tracking access attempts and activities to detect and respond to unauthorized or suspicious behavior.
   - **Session Management**: Managing user sessions to control the duration and scope of access, including features like session timeouts and logout functionality.

  IAM, it typically involves several layers:

1. **Presentation Layer**: Interfaces through which users interact with IAM functionalities, such as web portals or mobile applications.
  
2. **Application Layer**: Implements the business logic and functionality of IAM services, including user authentication, authorization, and identity lifecycle management.

3. **Data Layer**: Stores user identities, attributes, access policies, and audit logs. This may include databases, directory services, or cloud-based storage solutions.

4. **Integration Layer**: Connects IAM systems with other enterprise applications, directories, and identity providers to facilitate identity synchronization, authentication, and authorization processes.

5. **Security Layer**: Enforces security measures such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and access controls to protect sensitive identity and access data from unauthorized access or manipulation.

These components work together to provide a comprehensive IAM solution that ensures secure and efficient access to resources while maintaining control over user identities and permissions.