Standardization of Access Management Using IDP Federation

In this version (version 1), we will explore the concept of IDP federation and its uses in the large enterprise for smooth access management where there is a need to handle heterogeneous sets of users. In version 2, we will give a step-by-step approach to implementing IDP federation using IBM Verify.

What Is the Pain Point?

Multiple sets of employees, vendors, and customers from multiple organizations are typical in today's environment, where the merging and collaboration of various businesses and organizations is a fundamental and ongoing process.

Employee information from every organization that works together or merges may be kept in separate IDP sets. Although they may be standardized at the core, these IDPs may offer a variety of services.

Apart from that, the authentication methods are not traditional anymore and hence need to include various new generation security techniques like face recognition or thumbprint recognition which may not be available in the older IDPs the organization needed. In this case, they may need another IDP that has more sophisticated access control, but they also may need to keep the older IDP intact for other groups of users. 

It is advisable for a large enterprise to have multiple IDPs for various groups of users. For internal users, they may use certain IDP, on-premises or cloud intranet, but for customers or external clients (including system clients) they may rely on another IDP or public IDP.

So, for various reasons, an organization nowadays is forced to use multiple IDPs. That complicates the enterprise access process. The user expects a seamless single sign-on access, but multiple IDPs may not help in this scenario.

To provide better one-place security management and seamless user experience, it is advisable to have a federation service on top of IDPs.

Possible Use Cases for IDP Federation

So, now the question is what can drive the implementation of the IDP federation service. If we have the following business scenario, we should consider the IDP federation. 

• Simplify user authentication: With the IDP federation, users can authenticate once and then access multiple services without having to log in again. This simplifies the user experience and reduces the number of credentials that users need to manage.
• Improve security: IDP federation can improve security by allowing organizations to implement stronger authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), and centralize the management of user credentials.
• Streamline user management: IDP federation can streamline user management by allowing organizations to manage user access to multiple services from a central location. This reduces the administrative burden of managing user accounts and access rights for each individual service.
• Enable collaboration: IDP federation can enable collaboration between organizations by allowing users to access resources from multiple organizations with a single set of credentials. This can be particularly useful for joint ventures or research collaborations.
• Facilitate compliance: IDP federation can facilitate compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS by providing a secure and auditable way to manage user access to sensitive data.

Desired Solution

Let us look at the high-level conceptual view of the possible solution approach.

The architecture of an IDP Federation Service typically involves three main components:

• The Identity Provider, which can be any type of IDP, public, cloud, or corporate
• The Service Provider
• The Federation Service itself

The Identity Provider authenticates users and issues security tokens, while the Service Provider relies on these tokens to grant access to its resources. The Federation Service is the intermediary, facilitating trust establishment, identity mapping, and attribute sharing between the parties involved.

Protocols in IDP Federation Architecture

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML): SAML is a widely adopted protocol in IDP federation architecture. It enables the exchange of authentication and authorization data between IDPs and SPs. When a user attempts to access a service from an SP, the SP redirects the user to their IDP for authentication. The IDP then generates a SAML assertion containing the user's identity information and securely delivers it back to the SP, allowing the user access to the requested service.

OpenID Connect (OIDC): OIDC is another popular protocol used in IDP federation architecture. It builds upon the OAuth 2.0 framework and provides an identity layer. OIDC enables secure and standardized authentication and authorization flows, allowing users to authenticate with their IDPs and share identity information with SPs. It provides a JSON-based identity token that contains user attributes and claims, which SPs can use to personalize the user experience.

OAuth 2.0: OAuth 2.0 is an authorization framework often utilized alongside SAML or OIDC in IDP federation architecture. OAuth 2.0 enables delegated access to user resources, allowing SPs to request access tokens from IDPs on behalf of users. These access tokens grant temporary authorization to access specific resources without sharing the user's credentials with the SP.

Business Benefits

Implementing an Identity Provider (IDP) federation can provide significant benefits to businesses, including:

• Improved User Experience: IDP federation simplifies user authentication by allowing users to access multiple services with a single set of credentials. This reduces the need for users to remember multiple usernames and passwords, which can improve the overall user experience.
• Increased Security: IDP federation enables organizations to implement stronger authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) or biometrics, which can enhance security. Additionally, centralizing the management of user credentials reduces the risk of unauthorized access and improves auditing and compliance capabilities.
• Reduced IT Costs: With IDP federation, organizations can centralize user management, which reduces the administrative burden of managing user accounts and access rights for each individual service. This can reduce IT costs and improve operational efficiency.
• Facilitated Collaboration: IDP federation allows users from different organizations to collaborate more easily by providing a way to access resources from multiple organizations with a single set of credentials. This can be particularly useful for joint ventures or research collaborations.
• Compliance with Data Protection Regulations: IDP federation can facilitate compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS by providing a secure and auditable way to manage user access to sensitive data.

Available Off-The-Shelf Products

Off-the-shelf products provide organizations with ready-to-use solutions for implementing IDP federation, significantly reducing the development and maintenance effort. Each product offers its own unique features and capabilities, allowing organizations to choose the one that best fits their requirements, scalability needs, and integration capabilities. Below are a few examples:

• Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD): Azure AD is a cloud-based identity and access management solution that supports IDP federation through various protocols, including SAML 2.0 and OIDC. It allows organizations to connect their on-premises directories to Azure AD, enabling seamless single sign-on (SSO) and federation with thousands of pre-integrated applications and services. Azure AD also offers advanced security features, including conditional access policies and multi-factor authentication.
• Okta: Okta is a leading identity management platform that offers comprehensive IDP federation capabilities. It supports SAML 2.0, OIDC, and OAuth 2.0 protocols, allowing organizations to connect their identity sources and provide secure access to cloud and on-premises applications. Okta provides a user-friendly interface, centralized administration, and robust security features like adaptive authentication and strong access controls.
• Ping Identity: Ping Identity is an enterprise-grade identity and access management solution that enables IDP federation across diverse applications and services. It supports SAML 2.0, OIDC, and OAuth 2.0 protocols and offers a flexible deployment model, including cloud, hybrid, and on-premises options. Ping Identity provides features like single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and fine-grained access controls, helping organizations achieve secure and seamless user authentication.
• OneLogin: OneLogin is a cloud-based identity and access management platform that facilitates IDP federation through SAML 2.0 and OIDC protocols. It offers a centralized identity portal, enabling organizations to manage user identities, enforce security policies, and integrate with various applications and services. OneLogin provides SSO capabilities, user provisioning, adaptive authentication, and compliance reporting, enhancing both user experience and security.
• ForgeRock: ForgeRock is an open-source identity and access management platform that supports IDP federation across different protocols, including SAML 2.0, OIDC, and OAuth 2.0. It offers a comprehensive suite of identity management tools, including user authentication, authorization, and federation services. ForgeRock provides flexibility in deployment, customization options, and scalability to meet the evolving needs of organizations.
• Shibboleth: Shibboleth is an open-source software package designed specifically for federated identity management. It is widely used in academic and research institutions. Shibboleth supports SAML 2.0 protocol and provides a lightweight yet powerful solution for IDP federation. It allows organizations to establish trust relationships with partners, enabling seamless access to shared resources while maintaining privacy and security.
• IBM Verify: is an advanced Identity Provider (IDP) federation solution offered by IBM, facilitating secure authentication and identity management with support for industry-standard protocols like SAML 2.0, OIDC, and OAuth 2.0, IBM Verify enables IDP federation and seamless single sign-on (SSO) capabilities. IBM Verify offers robust security features, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) and adaptive access policies, ensuring enhanced protection for user identities. organizations can integrate IBM Verify with their existing user directories, on-premises or cloud-based, to streamline identity management and enable federated authentication.

Implementation Approach With IBM Verify

IBM Verify is a cloud-based Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) solution that provides identity and access management capabilities, including authentication, authorization, and user management. It can be used as an Identity Provider (IDP) in an IDP federation, but it depends on the specific requirements and configuration of the federation.

IBM Verify supports multiple authentication protocols, including Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) and OpenID Connect, which are commonly used for IDP federation. IBM Verify can act as an IDP and issue SAML or OpenID Connect tokens to enable Single Sign-On (SSO) across multiple applications and services.

IBM Verify also provides a range of authentication methods, including username and password, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and risk-based authentication. This can help organizations to implement strong authentication methods as part of an IDP federation.

Define Objectives and Requirements

The first step in implementing IBM Verify is to define the objectives and requirements of the identity management system. Identify the specific authentication and authorization needs of the organization, including factors such as the number of users, the applications and services involved, and the desired user experience. This step helps in aligning the implementation strategy with the organization's unique requirements.

Design Identity Architecture

Next, design the identity architecture that outlines how IBM Verify will be integrated into the existing IT infrastructure and other identity and LDAP providers. Determine the identity sources, such as user directories or identity databases, that will be connected to IBM Verify. Consider factors like scalability, high availability, and disaster recovery to ensure a robust and resilient architecture.

Configure and Customize IBM Verify

Configure IBM Verify to align with the organization's authentication policies and user experience requirements. This includes setting up authentication methods, defining access control policies, and configuring user self-service options. IBM Verify offers flexibility in customization, allowing organizations to tailor the solution to their specific needs, branding, and user interface preferences.

Integrate Applications and Service Providers

Integrate IBM Verify with the applications and service providers that will be accessed through the IDP federation. IBM Verify supports industry-standard protocols such as SAML 2.0, OIDC, and OAuth 2.0, making it compatible with a wide range of applications and services. Implement federated authentication, enabling users to access these resources seamlessly using their IBM Verify credentials.

Implement Security Controls

Implement robust security controls within the IBM Verify implementation. Leverage IBM Verify's built-in security features, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), adaptive access policies, and risk-based authentication to enhance the protection of user identities. Ensure that encryption and secure transmission mechanisms are in place to safeguard sensitive user information during authentication processes.

Test and Validate

Conduct thorough testing and validation to ensure the proper functioning of the IBM Verify implementation. Test various authentication scenarios, including different user types, access scenarios, and authentication methods. Validate that the integration with applications and service providers is working as intended and that the user experience meets the defined requirements. Address any identified issues or gaps before proceeding to production deployment.

Rollout and User Adoption

Plan the rollout and user adoption strategy for IBM Verify. Communicate the benefits of the new identity management solution to users and provide necessary training and support to ensure a smooth transition. Monitor user feedback and address any concerns or issues that arise during the initial stages of deployment. Continuously promote the advantages of IBM Verify, including enhanced security, user convenience, and simplified access to applications and services.

In conclusion, implementing IBM Verify as an IDP federation requires a systematic approach, from defining objectives and requirements to configuring, integrating, and securing the solution. By following a well-structured implementation approach, organizations can leverage the robust features of IBM Verify to enhance identity management, improve security, and provide a seamless user experience. With IBM Verify, organizations can establish a solid foundation for secure and efficient access to their digital resources.