Why do software vendors and cloud service providers count as IAM stakeholders, and what do their products typically bring along?

Because software without user management is hard to sell: their products usually come with a built-in "IAM" of their own, which can often be coupled to the customer's central IAM through a standard API.

Vendors and cloud providers use IAM indirectly: they do not run the customer's IAM, but their products must fit into it.

• Software vendors: a business application without its own user and permission management would be almost unsellable, so practically every product ships with a built-in mini-IAM (user list, roles, login screen).
• Cloud service providers: the same applies, even more so; every SaaS product has its own built-in identity and access layer.
• The coupling point: the better products can be connected to an external IAM through a standard interface: SAML or OpenID Connect for login, SCIM for provisioning accounts.

This creates a tension. Each built-in IAM is a new island of accounts, passwords and permissions that the customer must keep in sync. Whether a product offers proper standard interfaces is therefore a key purchasing criterion: it decides whether the product joins the central IAM or becomes another place where former employees keep their access.

Go deeper:

• Microsoft: Develop a SCIM endpoint for user provisioning — what a vendor implements so its app can be provisioned from a central IAM.