SAML Identity Provider for Enterprise SaaS Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large enterprises face difficulties in controlling access for their employees to external SaaS vendors due to the lack of integration with their authorization frameworks, and existing identity management solutions like SCIM are not universally adopted by SaaS vendors.
Innovation Solution
A custom Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) identity provider system that communicates with a centralized entitlement data store via web services to authenticate users and determine their access rights, generating a SAML token with fine-grained entitlement information to authorize or deny access to external SaaS providers, while providing consistent error messages and in-house access management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a SAML identity provider with custom software is used to authenticate users and check entitlements in real-time, then fine-grained access control and authorization management are improved, but system complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an identity provider as an intermediary component that mediates between users and external SaaS applications. The IdP contains custom software that acts as a mediator to communicate with the entitlement data store, translating authentication requests into entitlement checks and returning SAML assertions with fine-grained authorization data. This intermediary approach resolves the contradiction by centralizing the complexity in a dedicated component rather than distributing it across the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the identity provider into distinct functional components: an authentication module that verifies user credentials, an entitlement checking module that queries the centralized entitlement data store, and a SAML assertion generation module that formats the response. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing operational difficulty while maintaining fine-grained access control capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If SCIM standard is implemented for automated user identity exchange, then integration with external SaaS vendors is improved, but compatibility decreases since many SaaS vendors do not enable SCIM
Solution Approach 1:
The identity provider is designed with universal SAML 2.0 support that can communicate with any SaaS vendor implementing the SAML standard. The system performs multiple functions: it can work with SaaS vendors that support SCIM, those that don't, and those with custom integration requirements. The entitlement data is structured to accommodate different SaaS vendor formats while maintaining a unified interface through SAML assertions, making the system universally compatible while maintaining reliable integration.
3Measurement precision
If centralized entitlement data store is implemented with real-time web services calls, then access authorization accuracy is improved, but response time and system performance may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-structuring entitlement data in the centralized entitlement data store with optimized schemas that anticipate common query patterns. Entitlement data is organized in advance with proper indexing and relationships defined beforehand, so that when authentication occurs, the web services can retrieve the precise authorization decision quickly without ad-hoc data processing. This preliminary preparation maintains high accuracy while reducing response time.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods authenticate an end user of an enterprise with an external service provider. The enterprise comprises an identity provider and an entitlements data store that communicate via web services calls. The identity provider makes a determination of whether an end user is authorized to access the external service provider based on: (i) authentication of the end user by the identity provider; and (ii) data from the entitlements data store for the end user with respect to the external service provider. Upon a determination by the identity provider that the end user is authorized to access the external service provider, the identity provider send a SAML token to the end user. The SAML token comprises an XML representation of entitlement information for the end user for the external service provider.