Rely on a centralized identity provider

For workforce identities (employees and contractors), relying on a centralized identity provider enables you to manage identities in one place. This centralization simplifies managing access across multiple applications and systems, allowing you to create, assign, manage, revoke, and audit access from a single location. Centralized identity management reduces complexity, enhances security, and ensures consistent access control policies are applied across all services and resources.

1. Centralize identity management: Use a centralized identity provider (IdP) to manage workforce identities, reducing the need to create and manage separate credentials for each system or application. This simplifies user onboarding and offboarding, ensuring quick access updates.
2. Integrate with AWS IAM: Federate identities from your centralized IdP with AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) using standards such as SAML, OpenID Connect, or AWS Single Sign-On (SSO). This ensures that users have seamless and secure access to AWS resources without managing separate AWS credentials.
3. Automate provisioning and deprovisioning: By using a centralized identity provider, you can automate the process of provisioning and deprovisioning access for users. When employees join or leave, their access to all connected systems is adjusted accordingly, reducing the risk of leaving unauthorized access in place.
4. Monitor and audit access centrally: A centralized identity provider allows for consolidated monitoring and auditing of user access across multiple systems. This simplifies compliance reporting and ensures that access logs can be reviewed in one place for security purposes.
5. Apply consistent access policies: Centralized identity management enables you to enforce consistent access control policies across your organization. This ensures that security policies, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password complexity, are uniformly applied.

Supporting Questions:

• How do you integrate a centralized identity provider with your AWS environment?
• What processes are in place to automate the provisioning and deprovisioning of user access?
• How do you monitor and audit access across multiple systems using your identity provider?

Roles and Responsibilities:

Identity and Access Management Specialist:

• Responsibilities:
  • Set up and manage the centralized identity provider to control workforce access.
  • Ensure seamless integration of the IdP with AWS IAM for federated access.
  • Automate the provisioning and deprovisioning process across all connected systems.

Security Officer:

• Responsibilities:
  • Enforce consistent access policies, such as MFA, via the centralized identity provider.
  • Monitor access logs and audit user access to ensure compliance with security policies.
  • Regularly review user roles and access levels to ensure they align with business requirements.

Artefacts:

• Identity Provider Configuration: Documentation outlining how the centralized identity provider is configured and integrated with AWS and other systems.
• Access Control Policies: Policies defining access requirements, such as MFA enforcement and password complexity, applied through the centralized identity provider.
• Audit Logs: Centralized logs from the identity provider showing user access across various systems, useful for compliance and security audits.

Relevant AWS Services:

• AWS Single Sign-On (SSO): A service that integrates with your centralized identity provider to manage access to AWS accounts and applications, enabling single sign-on for users.
• AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Federates identities from a centralized IdP and controls access to AWS resources based on the policies associated with those identities.
• Amazon Cognito: Allows integration of a centralized identity provider for applications, enabling user sign-in and access management for web and mobile apps.
• AWS Directory Service: Provides centralized directory management for AWS resources and applications, allowing for seamless integration with existing Active Directory or other identity providers.
• AWS CloudTrail: Logs and monitors all identity-related actions, providing a centralized view of identity access and activities across the AWS environment.