In enterprise identity governance, few phrases create more anxiety than “show ROI.”
Leadership wants proof that investments in identity deliver measurable impact but legacy IGA tools, sprawling integrations, and multi-year deployments often make that nearly impossible to demonstrate quickly.
The result? Identity programs that stall before they ever scale.
Many teams face a paradox: the tools designed to improve efficiency take so long to stand up that efficiency gains remain theoretical. Massive re-platforms or multi-tool migrations rarely deliver fast wins and the longer the project drags on, the harder it becomes to keep executive support.
What leaders really want to see are early, visible improvements that prove identity can drive business outcomes, not just compliance checkboxes.
The most successful identity teams start small identifying high-impact areas that can be automated or improved using the infrastructure they already have. These 90-day efforts can generate measurable ROI and build the trust needed to scale bigger initiatives.
Here are a few examples:
1. Automate access certifications.
Move recurring campaigns out of spreadsheets or disconnected systems and into automated workflows. You’ll reduce manual effort by 50%+ and gain auditable visibility executives can actually see.
2. Expose SoD visibility.
Deliver real-time segregation-of-duties insights directly within business workflows — a compliance win that simultaneously strengthens security posture.
3. Run access where work already happens.
Keep identity built into the ServiceNow workflows your teams already use for IT, HR, and security. No extra portals, no context switching — just faster fulfillment and better alignment.
Each of these examples demonstrates value in 90 days or less — not by adding another platform, but by optimizing the one you already have.
The 90-day ROI approach isn’t just about metrics. It’s about credibility.
When identity starts showing measurable impact in existing business systems — faster onboarding, cleaner audits, fewer helpdesk tickets — executives stop asking “Why do we need this?” and start asking “What else can we automate?”
Identity leaders who take this path create a flywheel of trust, where each small win funds the next wave of transformation.
Up next: we’ll explore how modernization lays the foundation for smarter, AI-ready governance connecting today’s clean data and processes to tomorrow’s intelligent automation.
