What is an actor (Akteur) in an IAM system, and which actors exist?

An actor is an entity or subject in an IAM system that executes processes; the actors are the subject, the relying party, the IAM service provider, IAM management, IAM support and the IAM regulator.

Actors do things in the system, and each actor is motivated by one or more stakeholders. The subject wants access, the relying party protects resources, the IAM service provider runs services, IAM management (IAM-Führung) leads the participating providers and relying parties, IAM support finds and solves problems, and the IAM regulator sets the legal, procedural, organisational and technical frame.

Go deeper:

• eCH-0219 IAM-Glossar v2.0.0 — the standard these terms come from, with the full list of 152 definitions (German).