Strengthening Institutional Security: Standardizing Identity Lifecycle Management with Banner
Following a recommendation from the Identity Governance Subcommittee, the Data Governance Executive Committee has officially designated Banner as the single System of Record (SoR) for all Lehigh resource access. This change enhances campus data security and simplifies operations.
Why the Change?
Previously, special access exceptions created security and data integrity gaps by allowing individuals to receive physical, system or resource access outside of our central management systems. Banner will now serve as the single source of truth for all physical and digital access, covering faculty, staff, students, vendors, contractors, visiting scholars, and external partners.
Implementation & Timeline:
While the standard has been approved, it will take some time to identify impacted units and procedures and develop new processes in support of the standard. The Identity Governance Subcommittee will be kicking off the implementation in September, which includes the following project phases:
- Phase 1: Impact & Discovery Assessment
- Phase 2: Technical Workflow & Procedure Design
- Phase 3: Policy Formalization & Training
- Phase 4: Phased Onboarding & Integration
Benefits:
- Enhanced Security: Eliminates untracked access and protects data.
- Streamlined Governance: Simplifies onboarding and offboarding.
- Clear Accountability: Every account will have a documented purpose and sponsor.
How to Get Involved:
If you sponsor or manage non-affiliated individuals (e.g., contractors, vendors, visiting scholars), please notify datagovernance@lehigh.edu. To learn more about these changes and ask questions, please join us for an Open Session on September 22nd, 2026 at 10:00am (sign up here). Further guidance will follow soon.
Thank you for your partnership as we build a safer, more robust, and consistent identity and access governance framework across Lehigh.