If you’re hearing “IdentityNow” in interviews, project handovers, or internal security conversations, here’s the simple truth: it’s SailPoint’s cloud-first way to see, control, and review user access across your apps and data. If you’re planning a SailPoint IdentityNow course, this guide will give you the mental model first—so the screens and workflows actually make sense. And yes, we’ll keep it practical, the way Ascents Learning teaches it.

Quick note on naming: SailPoint has rebranded IdentityNow under Identity Security Cloud, but many teams still say “IdentityNow” in day-to-day work and job descriptions. (documentation.sailpoint.com)

IdentityNow in one minute

SailPoint IdentityNow is a SaaS-based identity governance solution that helps an organization answer three questions:

1. Who has access to what?
2. Who approved it (and when)?
3. Should they still have it today?

That means it’s focused on governance (requests, approvals, reviews, audit trails), not just login. SailPoint’s own product positioning describes IdentityNow as a modern SaaS identity security solution for centralized visibility and control of access. (sailpoint.com)

If you’re joining Ascents Learning for a SailPoint IdentityNow course, this “one minute” definition is your anchor. You’ll come back to it in every module.

Why companies actually use SailPoint IdentityNow

Most access problems aren’t fancy hacks. They’re everyday messes:

• A contractor leaves, but their SaaS access stays active for weeks.
• A developer changes teams and keeps old admin permissions.
• An auditor asks, “Show me who approved finance-system access,” and everyone starts searching email threads.

IdentityNow is built to reduce those messy gaps with self-service access requests, lifecycle automation (joiner–mover–leaver), and certification campaigns (access reviews). (Apply to Supply)

This is exactly why Ascents Learning keeps real-life scenarios at the center of SailPoint IdentityNow training—because the tool only clicks when you connect it to real org pain.

IAM vs IGA: where IdentityNow fits (quick clarity)

People mix these terms up, so let’s clean it up:

Area	What it covers	Common examples
IAM	Authentication + login experience	SSO, MFA, conditional access
IGA	Governance + controls around access	approvals, access reviews, audit trails
IdentityNow	A cloud IGA platform	requests + certifications + lifecycle governance

IdentityNow usually works alongside tools like Azure AD/Okta. It doesn’t try to be your only login system—it focuses on whether access is right, approved, and reviewable.

In a good SailPoint IdentityNow course at Ascents Learning, this distinction is one of the first things we drill, because it stops a lot of beginner confusion.

How IdentityNow works in real life (joiner–mover–leaver)

Let’s use a clean example.

Joiner (new employee)

A new hire joins as “Finance Analyst.” IdentityNow can trigger baseline access (email, finance tools, reporting) and route anything extra through approvals.

Mover (role change)

The same employee moves to “Finance Ops.” Old permissions should be removed, new ones added—without someone manually chasing it.

Leaver (exit)

On last working day, access should be removed quickly, and you should have proof it happened.

SailPoint highlights lifecycle event automation as a core value area for managing access based on role changes and lifecycle events. (sailpoint.com)

This is also why Ascents Learning treats lifecycle thinking as a foundation in SailPoint IdentityNow training, not an “advanced topic.”

The three building blocks beginners must understand

 

1) Sources: where IdentityNow reads accounts and pushes changes

IdentityNow connects to directories and apps so it can aggregate account data (read) and provision changes (write). SailPoint documentation describes connectors and on-prem integration options like VA-based connectors (virtual appliance) for certain environments. (documentation.sailpoint.com)

In your SailPoint IdentityNow course with Ascents Learning, you’ll learn why source quality matters more than people expect: messy data in sources = messy governance output.

2) Entitlements: what “access” actually means

Entitlements are the permissions behind the scenes:

• AD groups
• application roles
• access profiles

If your entitlement model is unclear, approvals and access reviews become meaningless. That’s not a tool problem—that’s modeling.

3) Governance actions: request, approve, review

This is where IdentityNow lives day-to-day.

Access Requests: the workflow you’ll see everywhere

IdentityNow supports a clear access request flow: users request access (for themselves or others), pick what they need, optionally set an expiration date, and the request goes through approvals and fulfillment. (documentation.sailpoint.com)

A simple, realistic request example

• A new analyst requests “Finance Reporting – Read”
• Manager approves (business need)
• App owner approves (system ownership)
• Access is granted and logged

When Ascents Learning runs SailPoint IdentityNow training, we make learners build and troubleshoot request scenarios because that’s what projects demand in the first 30 days.

Certifications: access reviews that auditors care about

Certifications are periodic reviews where managers or system owners confirm whether access is still appropriate—or revoke it. SailPoint defines certification campaigns and why they improve security and audit readiness. (documentation.sailpoint.com)

Simple certification example

• Quarterly review of “Finance System Access”
• Finance managers review their team’s access
• Anything not needed gets revoked
• Review completion provides audit evidence

If you’re doing a SailPoint IdentityNow course with Ascents Learning, expect to spend time on certification logic, campaigns, and common review mistakes—because this is where companies get measurable compliance value.

A beginner-friendly feature map (what to learn first)

Here’s the order I recommend for beginners (and the same order Ascents Learning uses in a practical SailPoint IdentityNow course):

1. Identity + source basics (how accounts and access are represented)
2. Access requests (catalog, approvals, expiration, fulfillment) (documentation.sailpoint.com)
3. Certifications (campaigns, reviewers, revocations) (documentation.sailpoint.com)
4. Lifecycle governance (joiner–mover–leaver)
5. Integrations and on-prem components (VA-based connectors, and cases where agents/services are required) (documentation.sailpoint.com)
6. Reporting mindset (audit trails, ownership, evidence)

SailPoint also offers capabilities like access recommendations (peer-group based suggestions) for more informed decisions in requests and certifications in Identity Security Cloud contexts. (documentation.sailpoint.com)

IdentityNow vs IdentityIQ (the beginner comparison)

You’ll hear both names in the market:

• IdentityNow / Identity Security Cloud: SaaS-first, designed for cloud delivery and ongoing feature updates.
• IdentityIQ: traditionally deployed in more on-prem or self-managed patterns.

A lot of organizations are moving IdentityNow/ISC direction for cloud scale and SaaS operations, while some keep IdentityIQ for specific legacy or deep customization needs. (The important part: learn what your target companies use.)

This is why Ascents Learning keeps SailPoint IdentityNow training aligned to current hiring needs—job descriptions often mention both.

Common beginner mistakes (and how to avoid them)

1. Treating entitlements like an afterthought
   Governance only works if access definitions are clean.
2. Building approvals without ownership clarity
   Decide who is responsible: manager vs app owner vs security.
3. Skipping lifecycle thinking
   Requests are only half the story. Movers and leavers create the bigger risk.
4. Chasing “perfect automation” too early
   Start with stable sources + a clean request and certification process, then automate more.

This “real-world sequencing” is exactly what Ascents Learning focuses on in every SailPoint IdentityNow course.

A practical learning path (Beginner → Job-ready)

Week 1–2: Fundamentals + platform flow

• Identity, accounts, entitlements, sources
• Basic access request flow (end-to-end)

Week 3–4: Governance that companies measure

• Build a request catalog and approval routes
• Run certification campaigns and handle revocations

Week 5–6: Integration + reporting habits

• Source onboarding approach
• Handling common connector issues
• Reporting and audit evidence thinking

If you want this in a structured format, Ascents Learning runs a hands-on SailPoint IdentityNow course that mirrors real delivery work—requests, reviews, lifecycle, and integration basics—so you’re not just memorizing screens. And if you’re comparing options, ask for lab-heavy SailPoint IdentityNow training with real scenarios, not just slides.

Final takeaway

SailPoint IdentityNow (now commonly grouped under Identity Security Cloud) exists for one core job: make access decisions visible, controlled, and reviewable—so onboarding is faster, offboarding is safer, and audits don’t turn into a panic.

If you’re starting a SailPoint IdentityNow course, keep your focus on the core flow: sources → access requests → certifications → lifecycle controls. That’s the backbone. Everything else builds on it.

For a guided path with practical labs, Ascents Learning can help you start strong with SailPoint IdentityNow training that matches the work you’ll do on real projects.