> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cedarai.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Why IAM: Problem & Purpose

> Why Cedar.AI added IAM: flexibility for large organizations and customer access.

## Overview

Larger operations and their customers—across rail, transload, intermodal, mobile, and more—need flexible permission structures for internal teams and external customers.⁠​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌⁠ A single operator‑centric model is too rigid at scale.

## Problem statement

In an operator‑centric model, users typically see everything within one operator.⁠​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌⁠ For multi‑site or multi‑operator operations—or complex organizations—users need scoped access (by terminals, tracks/groups, workflows) and in some cases cross‑organization visibility.

Example: because two operator codes exist, inventory appears separately and cannot be scoped cleanly without IAM.

## Purpose

IAM provides a user‑defined, flexible way to manage access using identities (users, groups), roles (permissions), and policies (bindings with optional conditions).⁠​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌⁠ It also enables a customer‑facing Portal through configuration rather than a separate system.

## Get started

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="IAM Concepts" href="/user-docs/iam/concepts" icon="list-tree">
    Understand the building blocks
  </Card>

  <Card title="Admin Portal" href="/user-docs/admin/overview" icon="gauge-high">
    Manage IAM through the UI
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


## Related topics

- [IAM Overview](/user-docs/iam/overview.md)
- [Glossary](/user-docs/admin/glossary.md)
- [Stale Inventory Cleanup](/user-docs/arms/stale-inventory-cleanup.md)
- [Switch Billing](/user-docs/arms/switch-billing.md)
- [Overview](/user-docs/admin/overview.md)