Common Authentication Framework Circuitry for Multi-Enterprise Policy Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing company authentication methods vary widely, leading to inefficiencies and inconsistencies, as different companies configure and implement authentication products and services differently, with no standardized approach for managing authentication across multiple enterprises.
Innovation Solution
A common authentication framework circuitry that receives authentication requests from multiple enterprises, selects policies based on user and enterprise identifiers, and invokes authentication services to perform user authentication operations, allowing for flexible use of various authentication factors and identity providers, with the ability to seamlessly switch between providers and operate in a cloud environment for scalability and security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If different companies implement their own authentication methods and configurations, then each company can customize authentication to its specific needs, but this leads to inconsistency and lack of standardization across enterprises
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system is segmented into distinct modular components: authentication factors (passwords, biometrics, tokens), identity providers, authentication policies, and service providers. Each component can be independently configured and selected based on enterprise requirements, enabling customization while maintaining overall system standardization through the framework's structured architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication framework provides universal functionality by supporting multiple authentication methods, identity providers, and service providers within a single standardized system. The framework can handle various authentication scenarios (single-factor, multi-factor, centralized, distributed) through a common architecture, eliminating the need for separate authentication systems for each enterprise.
2Reliability
If companies build their own authentication infrastructure, then they have full control over security and configuration, but this increases system complexity and resource requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication framework acts as an intermediary layer between enterprises and authentication service providers. It provides standardized interfaces and abstraction mechanisms that simplify integration while maintaining enterprise control over security policies and authentication flows. The framework handles complexity internally through standardized protocols and modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication framework is designed to be dynamic and adaptable, allowing enterprises to configure and reconfigure authentication methods, policies, and service providers based on changing requirements. The system can dynamically select appropriate authentication factors and providers based on enterprise identifiers and policy rules, reducing the need for rigid infrastructure.
3Adaptability or versatility
If authentication systems are highly customized for each enterprise, then they meet specific enterprise requirements, but this reduces scalability and flexibility across different organizations
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication framework performs preliminary configuration and setup at the framework level rather than at each enterprise level. Common authentication mechanisms, security protocols, and integration patterns are pre-established in the framework, allowing enterprises to quickly deploy customized authentication solutions by simply selecting and configuring pre-built components rather than building from scratch.
Solution Approach 2:
The framework enables enterprise-specific customization through parameter changes rather than structural modifications. Enterprises can configure authentication behavior by adjusting policy parameters, selecting different authentication factors, and specifying preferred service providers, all within the standardized framework architecture. This allows rapid adaptation to different enterprise requirements without redploying entire authentication systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique manages user authentication via common authentication framework circuitry. The technique involves receiving, by the common authentication framework circuitry, authentication requests from client devices of users belonging to multiple enterprises, the authentication requests including user identifiers identifying the users belonging to the multiple enterprises. The technique further involves accessing, by the common authentication framework circuitry, entries of an authentication policy database to select authentication policies for the authentication requests. Selection of the authentication policies is based at least in part on the user identifiers of the authentication requests. The technique further involves invoking, by the common authentication framework circuitry, authentication services in accordance with the selected authentication policies to perform user authentication operations in response to the authentication requests from the client devices.