If you don't know what a good testing process should look like, the Sword of Damocles may be over your IAM tool!

Undoubtedly, a well-tested IAM:

Strengthens security against vulnerabilities and cyber threats.

Helps you comply with standards like ISO 27001:2022 and DORA.

Ensures your IAM release is robust and repeatable.

In this short guide, we’ll walk you through the right IAM testing process and highlight common pitfalls to avoid.

7 Best Practices for IAM Testing

Follow these 7 practices to keep your IAM testing secure and effective.

1. Always test in a non-productive environment

Even minor changes to your IAM system can introduce unexpected errors and vulnerabilities. To stay safe, always test every modification in a controlled, non-productive environment before deploying it.

2. Develop and maintain detailed test cases

Plan your test cases ahead of time, and don’t stop there—keep refining them. Continuously improving your test cases ensures a structured, repeatable, and reliable testing process.

3. Standardize and document test results

Clear documentation prevents confusion and miscommunication within your team. When you define what counts as a success or failure, you eliminate ambiguity. Keeping detailed records makes your testing process transparent and easier to manage.

4. Run end-to-end tests after every change

Changes can cause unintended side effects. Running comprehensive end-to-end tests after each update helps you catch these issues early and understand their impact on the system.

5. Use smoke testing, validation steps, and regression tests

Think of these tests as your safety net. Smoke tests, validation steps, and regression tests confirm that updates haven’t broken core functionality. Without them, your IAM system is running on luck rather than security.

6. Plan fewer Releases with more changes

Each Release requires a thorough testing. Frequent small releases increase testing overhead or worse—lead to skipped tests. Fewer, more substantial releases allow for proper end-to-end validation and reduce testing fatigue.

7. Improve team engagement with structured test cases

Detailed test cases make it easier for new team members to understand your IAM workflows and key functionalities. This speeds up onboarding and ensures a more professional, systematic approach to IAM testing.

3 Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Through our experience, we’ve seen these mistakes happen time and time again. Avoid them to keep your IAM testing on track.

1. Letting inexperienced people handle IAM testing

Testing IAM with an inexperienced team is a recipe for disaster. Without proper knowledge of the IAM tool, testers may overlook key side effects and fail to predict real-world scenarios.

To get accurate results, work with an experienced team that understands IAM testing processes and can anticipate the impact of changes.

2. Testing only after the change

Running tests only after an update is like trying to find an enemy in the dark. Was the bug caused by the change, or was it always there?

Don’t take that risk. Integrate testing into every phase—before and after updates—and maintain it systematically.

3. Neglecting documentation

Skipping documentation makes it harder to trace errors and repeat successful tests. Recording test data and parameters helps identify the root cause of unexpected results.

Solid documentation also helps new team members understand your IAM system faster and provides a reference when building new solutions.

Leave your IAM testing to us

If you lack the expertise, resources, or time to manage IAM testing properly, why not let praktiga handle it for you?

We are ISO 27001:2022 certified, ensuring that your IAM testing meets DORA's requirement for third-party certified testing.

But partnering with us isn’t just about compliance—you’ll also build a strong, repeatable IAM testing strategy.

If you want to learn more, send us a message or email to info@praktiga.com now, and let’s discuss how we can help.