According to Butler Group, end-to-end identity and access management (I&AM) consists of seven key service delivery components.

1 The delivery of identity management services: The infrastructure components of I&AM, including support for operating systems, databases, directories and helpdesks. This relates specifically to the use of directory and meta-directory management facilities, including federated identity management services to support all user identity requirements.

2 The availability and support for appropriate authentication technologies: Authentication tools that provide clear support for single- and multi-factor authentication. Authentication services that provide and support the use of independent hardware devices and appliance-based solutions - authentication products such as fixed and one-time passwords, hardware and software tokens, USB devices, smartcards and identity cards, biometrics, public key infrastructure (PKI) and digital certificates, virtual private network (VPN) services (secure socket layer (SSL) and IPSec), grid, transaction authentication number (TAN) lists, scratch cards, and other paper-based lists, short messaging service (SMS), and radio frequency identification (RFID).