The Complete Guide to Choosing an IAM Backup and Recovery Solution

Why IAM Backup and Recovery Is Essential

Modern organizations rely on cloud Identity Providers (IdP) like Okta, PingOne, and Microsoft Entra ID(formerly Azure AD) as the “front door” to their IT environment. If the primary IdP fails, users cannot access any of their applications. Unfortunately, outages — whether due to misconfiguration, cyberattack, or provider downtime —are more common than many tech and security professionals like to admit.

Compounding this risk is the shared responsibility model of cloud services. Most IdPs maintain that complete system backups are the customer’s responsibility, not the provider’s. For example, Entra ID has no built-in backup or rollback tools, so organizations must use third-party solutions to back it up. Okta similarly offers no native backup/restore utility, retaining deleted objects only briefly.

Disastrous incidents underscore the importance of IAM backups. In a 2021 case prosecuted by the Department of Justice, a disgruntled contractor deleted over 1,200 user accounts at a company, causing two days of total downtime and months of persistent IT issues.

Beyond keeping the business running, regulatory compliance drives the need for IAM data protection. Regulations and standards like SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and others require controls to safeguard data and ensure recoverability. Auditors will expect to see that you can quickly restore access for users after an incident and prove that proper identity controls were maintained at all times.

IAM is a Tier Zero Application

 Because of the key role Identity Access Management (IAM) plays in your organization’s operations, it is generally considered a “Tier Zero” application. A Tier Zero application is defined as an application that is business critical; without it, your organization cannot function.

Tier Zero applications must be treated with the utmost care for security and disaster recovery purposes. Tier Zero applications like IAM should have comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery plans that aim for as little downtime as possible.

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Evaluating IAM Backup and Recovery Solutions

Once you know the importance of an IAM backup and recovery platform, the next step is evaluating specific vendors/products to determine which best suits your particular needs. Below are technical and operational issues to investigate when comparing solutions:

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Backup Capabilities

• Backup Frequency & Automation
  Does the solution support automated scheduling of backups at the frequency you require (hourly, daily, weekly)? Can it perform continuous or incremental backups to minimize data loss (RPO)? A strong solution will allow flexible scheduling and ensure no manual intervention is needed for routine backups.
• Coverage of Data
  What IAM objects and settings are included in backups? Verify it captures all critical elements: users (with attributes), groups and group memberships, application configurations (including SSO settings), roles/permissions, policies (e.g. MFA, conditional access), and any configuration metadata. If certain data isn’t backed up, assess the impact. The solution should ideally cover the full scope of your IdP’s configuration.
• Backup Retention & Storage
  How long can backups be retained, and where are they stored? Also inquire about storage location — is backup data stored in the vendor’s cloud, your cloud, or on-premises? Some enterprise tools might allow using your own storage bucket or specify regional storage for compliance. The system should prevent backups from being automatically purged too soon.
•  Data Integrity and Verification
  Does the solution verify backup integrity and consistency? Leading products will perform integrity checks to ensure the backup data isn’t corrupted or incomplete. They may also track check sums or allow test restores to verify that backups are usable. You don’t want to discover during a crisis that your backup was faulty.
•  Encryption and Security of Backups
  Ask about how backups are secured. At a minimum, backups should been crypted in transit and at rest. Confirm the vendor’s encryption standards (AES-256, etc.) and key management practices. Also, are backups stored in a logically isolated manner (so one customer’s backup can’t leak to another)?

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Recovery Capabilities

• Restore Speed (RTO)
  What is the expected Recovery Time Objective (RTO) for the solution? This depends on the tool’s performance and restore process. Some solutions can restore critical data in minutes, whereas others might take hours for a full restore. Rapid recovery is vital to minimize downtime. During evaluation, ask the vendor for metrics or benchmarks (e.g. “able to restore 15,000 objects in under an hour”). If possible, test it in a staging environment.
• Granularity of Restore
  Can the solution perform selective restores of specific objects, or is it all-or-nothing? Ideally, it should support both full tenant restore (for major disasters) and granular restore (for targeted fixes). Get details on how selective restore works: Is it a simple UI where you pick a user or group from a backup? Any limitations (for example, can it restore a single attribute of a user, or only whole objects)? The more fine-grained control, the better.
• Non-Disruptive Recovery Options
  Ask if the tool can restore data without overwriting or if it offers away to stage changes. Can you restore into a sandbox tenant first to verify the data, then promote it to production? Some solutions might let you export the backup data in a format (like JSON or CSV) which you could review or selectively apply. The ability to test or preview a restore is useful to avoid unexpected side effects.
• Handling of Conflicts
  When restoring, how does the solution handle objects that still exist or have changed since the backup? For example, if a user’s attributes differ between the current state and the backup, can you choose to merge or overwrite? Does the tool flag conflicts for review? Understanding this behavior is important for planning.
• Support for Failover/Continuity
  Beyond basic restore, see if the solution supports any kind of failover mechanism or standby environment. Cutting-edge IAM resilience products like MightyID enable you to switch to an alternate IdP if the primary goes down. While not every backup solution will have full failover, if high availability is a requirement, prioritize vendors that offer features like real-time sync to a secondary environment for near-zero downtime recovery.

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Security and Compliance Standards

• Headquarter Location
  When considering security and business continuity of your IAM resilience solution, choosing a vendor with domestic operations is key. Look into any potential partners’ headquarters locations – whether in the United States or abroad – so you can make an informed decision a resilience vendor. Consider availability of developers and key personnel in your time zone, and the storage of data.
• Security Architecture
  Evaluate the overall security of the solution. Does it follow security best practices such as least-privileged access to your IdP (using scoped API tokens, for example)? Is the solution architecture reviewed or certified by third parties (for example, look for SOC reports). This provides assurance that the vendor follows rigorous security controls.
• Encryption & Data Protection
  Confirm that all data handled by the solution is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest in storage. Also ask how encryption keys are managed. Are keys managed by the vendor, or can you manage your own (customer-managed keys)? Enterprise-focused solutions may offer the latter for additional control.
• Access Controls and Roles
  Check what access controls the solution provides for its own interface. You’ll want integration with your SSO for administrator login, support for MFA, and granular admin roles (so you can limit who can trigger a restore or view sensitive data). Logging and monitoring of administrator actions is also critical — every restore or backup action should be auditable.
• Regulatory Compliance Features
  Map the solution’s capabilities to your compliance requirements. For instance, if you operate in a regulated industry or regions with data sovereignty laws: Can the vendor guarantee data residency in certain jurisdictions (e.g. EU data center for EU customers)? Do they have audit support features, like producing reports that show a history of access control changes (useful for demonstrating SOX compliance, etc.)? Some vendors might even have specific certifications (FedRAMP for U.S. government use, HIPAA compliance attestations for healthcare data, etc.).
• Resilience and Fail-Safe Measure
  Inquire how the vendor protects the backup system itself. Do they have high availability for their service? Are backups of the backup data taken? Essentially, you want to be confident that the system you rely on for recovery is itself resilient and not a single point of failure. This might include the vendor’s disaster recovery plan and service level agreement (SLA) for their service.

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Integration and Compatibility

• Supported Identity Platforms
  Ensure the solution explicitly supports all the IAM platforms you use. Common IdPs to look for include Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, Ping Identity(PingOne), Auth0, Google Cloud Identity, On-Prem AD (if part of hybrid), etc. The vendor should have connectors or APIs for each. For example, if you primarily use Okta but also have some B2C identities in Auth0, the solution should handle both with equal fidelity. Multi-IdP support is a major plus if you have a diverse environment.
• Multi-Tenant Management
  If you have multiple tenants of the same IdP (such as multiple Okta orgs for different departments or a dev/prod split), check that the solution can manage backups for multiple tenants and keep them separate. It should also be clear how to restore data from one tenant into another if needed (useful for migration or seeding test environments).
• APIs and Extensibility
  Does the solution offer APIs or integration hooks so you can embed it into your workflows? For instance, an API to trigger backups or query backup status can allow you to integrate backup verification into your DevOps pipeline or monitoring systems.
• Data Format and Portability
  Ask in what format the solution stores the backup data. Is it proprietary or something portable (like JSON, CSV, LDIF, etc.)? A more open format can be useful if you ever need to export the data or use it outside the vendor’s restore mechanism. Also, if the solution were ever discontinued, having data in a standard format would ease transition.
• Performance and API Usage
  Integration also means the solution will be calling your IdP’s APIs to pull and push data. Get details on how it manages this. For example, does it respect API rate limits and not degrade the performance of your live IAM system? You might even ask the vendor if any throttle controls or adaptive sync features are present. If your IAM has a large number of objects, heavy API use by a backup tool could potentially interfere with real-time operations, so it’s an important consideration.

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Deployment Options (Cloud, Hybrid, On-Prem)

• Cloud(SaaS) Deployment
  Many IAM backup solutions are offered as a cloud service by the vendor, which means you simply sign up and configure connections to your IdPs. This is convenient and often the fastest to get started. When evaluating, ask where the service is hosted (which cloud, which regions) and what uptime SLA they offer.
• On-Premises or Self-Hosted
  If your organization has strict data control requirements, you may need a solution that can be deployed on-premises (or in your private cloud). Some vendors offer a self-hosted version of their backup platform or an appliance that you install in your data center. Evaluate the complexity of this option — what infrastructure is required, how updates are handled, etc. On-prem deployment gives you full control over where data is stored (you could keep all backups within your firewall), but typically requires more effort to manage.
• Hybrid Approaches
  In some cases, a hybrid model is available — for example, the vendor’s software runs in your environment but backups data to their cloud storage, or vice versa. Another hybrid scenario is using the solution to copy IAM data into your own backup systems. Understand the flexibility: can the tool be configured to store backups in a location of your choosing? Also, can it integrate with your existing backup infrastructure?
• Deployment Fit for Your Org
  Consider your IT policies. If you are cloud-first, a SaaS solution will likely be a good fit. If you have a “no external SaaS for critical security data” policy, lean towards on-prem or at least a vendor that offers dedicated instances. For example, some enterprise vendors can deploy a dedicated cloud instance just for your org (offering isolation from other customers). Also confirm how the solution connects to your IdP — typically via API over HTTPS. If your IdP is cloud-based, even an on-prem backup tool will need egress to the internet to pull data. Ensure your network and firewall setup can accommodate the solution’s connectivity needs.
• Scalability of Deployment
  If on-prem, can the solution scale (e.g., by adding more servers) as your IAM data grows? If SaaS, how does the vendor ensure scalability on their side? Essentially, you want to be sure the deployment model you choose will serve you long-term without performance bottlenecks.

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Pricing and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

• Licensing Model
  IAM backup solutions typically use subscription licensing. Clarify how the pricing is structured —  common models include per-user pricing or tiered pricing by user count. For example, a vendor might charge a certain amount per managed identity per month. Some have bundles or tiers (e.g., a Business tier up to X users, an Enterprise tier for more). Make sure you understand if the pricing is based on number of users, number of tenants, or other factors like features used.
• Feature-Based Pricing
  Check if advanced features (like cross-IdP migration or failover) cost extra. It’s not uncommon for vendors to have add-on modules. A solution might include basic backup/restore in the base price but charge additionally for a failover capability or for each additional IdP beyond the first. In MightyID’s case, failover is an add-on per user. Be sure to get a full breakdown of what is included at what price point.
• Scalability of Cost
  Evaluate how the cost scales as your user count grows. Are there volume discounts at larger tiers? If you expect your IAM user base to double in the next year (say due to customer growth or acquisitions), budget for that. Some vendors have steep price breaks at certain thresholds (e.g., cost per user might drop significantly after 500or 10,000 users). This can influence whether you opt for a bigger plan upfront.
• Total Cost of Ownership
  Beyond the subscription fee, consider any additional costs. If the solution is on-premises, factor in infrastructure and maintenance costs(servers, storage, admin time). If it requires a lot of admin effort (which a good solution shouldn’t, but consider training and processes), that’s part ofTCO. Also think of the cost of not having a good solution — i.e., the risk cost. For example, what would an extended IAM outage cost your business in financial losses or reputation?
• Support and Services
  Check if support is included in the license or if it’s a separate fee (some enterprise software charges extra for premium support). Also, if you anticipate needing help with initial setup or data migration, ask if the vendor provides professional services (and at what cost).
• Contract Terms
  Look at minimum contract lengths (many SaaS require an annual commitment), and whether pricing is fixed or can increase over time. Also verify if the price includes all updates/upgrades to the software. Ideally, you want a predictable annual cost with no surprise fees.
• Trial/Pilot
  Finally, see if the vendor offers a proof of concept (POC) or pilot period. This can reduce risk — you can test the product in a hosted environment to reduce risk of impact in production environments.

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MightyID: The Total IAM Backup, Migration, and Failover Solution

MightyID is an enterprise-grade, cloud-based platform specifically engineered by Identity and Access Management (IAM) experts to tackle the critical challenges of IAM resilience.

MightyID’s solution is delivered as a cloud-based SaaS platform accessed via a web portal. Options for dedicated infrastructure or specific regional hosting are available to meet strict data residency or security requirements. Scalability is built in, and it can readily handle both internal workforce IAM and large-scale external customer IAM (CIAM) use cases.

Annual licensing costs are based on a per-user (identity) model with volume-based tiers (Business, Business Plus, Enterprise for workforce; and different tiers for CIAM). Pricing decreases at higher volumes. Failover capability is typically an add-on cost. Higher tiers include enhanced support and capabilities like multi-IdP management within one subscription.

MightyID's functionality is organized into three main pillars:

1. MightyID Recovery (Backup & Restore)
   MightyID Recovery provides automated, continuous or scheduled backups of entire IAM tenant configurations (users, groups, application settings, entitlements, policies) to the secure MightyID cloud. It is designed to handle very large datasets typical of enterprise workforce and customer IAM scenarios efficiently, utilizing a high-performance data transfer engine to drastically reduce backup times compared to manual methods.
   
   It offers precision-targeted restores, allowing administrators to recover specific items granularly (e.g., a single user, a group's membership, an application config) without impacting the rest of the environment. Full tenant restores are also supported for major incidents or rollbacks.
   
   The solution is accessible via an intuitive web interface for easy management of backup/restore tasks, even during high-pressure situations. It maintains detailed logs and version history, aiding in audits. Backups are stored securely (encrypted, isolated) meeting standards like SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and it supports multi-tenant backup management.
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2. MightyID Migration (Tenant and Vendor Migration)
   MightyID Migration streamlines complex IAM data migration processes, reducing manual effort and potential errors. For tenant-to-tenant (Same IdP) use cases, it facilitates moving configurations between different instances of the same IdP (e.g.,staging to production, consolidating tenants, seeding sandbox environments). This ensures consistency and accelerates deployments.
   
   For cross-IdP migration (different vendors), MightyID provides an identity portability layer (MightyID Migration) to migrate identity objects (users, groups, policies, MFA settings, application SSO) between different IdP vendors (e.g.,Okta to Entra ID). It handles the complex mapping and translation of schemas and configurations between platforms.
   
   MightyID Migration significantly reduces the cost, time, and disruption associated with IAM migrations, particularly challenging cross-vendor moves. It also enables multi-vendor strategies, helps avoid vendor lock-in, and facilitates IdP consolidation (e.g., post-merger).
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3. MightyID Failover (Identity Provider Failover & Resilience)
   MightyID Failover addresses the critical risk of a primary IdP outage. It enables organizations to maintain identity continuity by facilitating an emergency switch to a pre-configured, synchronized alternate IdP. The system uses its migration and sync capabilities to continuously replicate and map identity data from a primary IdP to a secondary, standby IdP (potentially from a different vendor).This pre-emptive synchronization ensures the standby environment is ready. In an emergency, MightyID orchestrates the redirection of authentication requests to the alternate IdP.
   
   This pioneering and proprietary capability provides true high-availability or "IdentityDR" for the identity layer. It drastically improves RTOs (to potentially just a few minutes) and RPOs (to near zero) during catastrophic IdP failures. It also eliminates the single point of failure associated with relying on one IdP vendor and enables robust multi-IdP resilience strategies.

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Fortifying Your Identity Infrastructure

Selecting an IAM backup and recovery solution is a critical decision that can significantly impact your organization’s security posture and continuity of operations. A robust solution will provide automated, frequent backups, granular and rapid recovery, audit and compliance features, and scalability to grow with your business. It should integrate seamlessly with your current identity providers and ideally enhance your overall IAM program.

In evaluating vendors, use the criteria in this guide to ask the right questions about backup frequency, recovery process, security measures, integration, deployment options, and cost. Make sure the solution aligns with your technical requirements as well as organizational policies. Don’t settle for a tool that only checks some boxes — identity is too important to leave any weak links.

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