Identity and access management is simply connecting people with technology. But implementing IAM solutions can be a large undertaking. Think of this as a journey, not a single event.
Identity and Access Management Project Plan
Developing a project plan for your IAM implementation will involve resources outside IT or the infrastructure team. Many times I have seen an identity and access management plan run by IT that leaves out the application owners or does not involve the HR team early on in the case of HR as a Master. This sort of thing can lead to unexpected delays and challenges to the project. The inclusion of these teams in the beginning stages is essential to successfully keeping to the project plan. Communication to the right teams at the right time here is the key to success.
Identity and Access Management Implementation Plan
The first step in planning an IAM implementation involves people, more specifically their identity. The best possible solution is one where little work is needed to maintain the user base.
- If there is already an HR solution in place the best practice is to use a HR as a Master. Your HR solution can then be the starting flow for all the lifecycle management functions.
- If there is not an HR solution in place, look for other user stores such as Active Directory, or other user stores.
The second part of this equation is technology.
- Best practice is to be secure, agile, and future-proof is to use SAML wherever possible. Securing apps with SAML has many benefits, most importantly the ability to control the access by putting Okta in the Identity Layer, allowing access decisions to be made, and putting Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) in the flow when it is needed.
- Okta’s Adaptive MFA can reduce friction without compromising security by looking at behaviors and when to prompt a user for MFA. These behaviors are based on Devices, IP addresses, Geo Locations, or a combination of these.
Identity Platform Assessment (IPA) helps organizations discover how modern identity can align with strategic goals and priorities. Keep your implementation plan focused on providing a secure, agile, and future-proof solution with the Identity Platform Assessment.
Iteration
Once major applications such as Office 365 have been integrated, and your user base accustomed to the authentication flow, adding more applications becomes very streamlined. Your user base is already able to authenticate to Okta, already has MFA that is configured, and knows what to expect when launching an application federated to Okta. The rest is a matter of gaining additional efficiencies across your IT stack to make your business secure, agile, and future proof.
Service Management
After implementation, there is much needed to manage and maintain an Okta instance. Think of Service Management as an extension of your own team. The role of an Okta administrator is often not necessarily a full-time position; however, it is in a highly technical and specialized environment. There is still maintenance to be done on a regular basis, this is not a set-it-and-forget-it type of engagement. Audits, evaluations, and monitoring are still a critical part of your identity strategy. Re-evaluating your strategy could mean considering if there are more automations. Or are Group, Rules, Policies being used to their highest potential?
Service Management from BeyondID is specifically designed to be proactive by finding and solving problems before they have a business impact. BeyondID has Certified Okta Administrators ready to complete this proactive and reactive work. BeyondID provides organizations an alternative to having to hire, train, and retain much sought-after talent. BeyondID has a modular offering of Service Administration, Service Monitoring, and Strategy and Management to cover a complete solution ready to go on day one. Our intention with Service Management is simple, Deliver 5-star experience with every engagement.
