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Identity and Access Management (IAM) Guide

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Guide

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Guide

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Guide

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Guide

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Guide

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Guide

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Guide

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Guide

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the discipline of ensuring the right people have access to the right resources at the right time for the right reasons. Poor IAM is the leading cause of data breaches. This guide covers modern IAM concepts including SSO, SAML, OIDC, SCIM, just-in-time access, and access reviews.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

SSO allows users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple applications without re-entering credentials. It improves both security and user experience.

How SSO Works

An SSO system has three components:

• Identity Provider (IdP): The authoritative source for user identities. Examples: Okta, Azure AD, Keycloak, Google Workspace.

2\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\. Service Provider (SP): The application the user wants to access.

3\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\. User Agent: Typically a web browser.

When a user accesses an SP, the SP redirects them to the IdP for authentication. The IdP authenticates the user and issues a token. The SP validates the token and grants access.

Benefits of SSO

• Users manage one password instead of dozens.

• Password policies (complexity, rotation) are enforced centrally.

• Account lockout and deactivation propagate instantly across all applications.

• Failed login attempts are tracked in one place.

SAML 2.0

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) 2.0 is an XML-based protocol for exchanging authentication and authorization data between IdPs and SPs.

SAML Flow

• User attempts to access an SP resource.

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3\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\. IdP authenticates the user (via password, MFA, or other method).

4\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\. IdP generates a SAML assertion containing user

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