Unified Identity Cloud Authorization for Multi-Cloud Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Managing identity and access privileges across multiple cloud platforms is burdensome and complex, leading to security vulnerabilities and inefficiencies, particularly for organizations with a large number of users and applications.
Innovation Solution
A software platform that unifies multiple identity clouds by enabling users to build authorization models, integrate resources across platforms, and manage access privileges using a centralized directory, supporting features like single-sign-on and passwordless authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional IGA tools are used to manage identity and access privileges across multiple cloud platforms, then organizations can maintain access control for users, but the system complexity and management burden increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate identity clouds (AWS IAM, Azure AD, GCP IAM) into a unified identity cloud that provides centralized management. The unification layer integrates authentication and authorization functions from different cloud platforms, allowing organizations to manage access privileges across multiple clouds through a single system, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining reliable access control.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified identity cloud serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as an identity provider for authentication, an authorization service for access control, and a synchronization mechanism across different cloud platforms. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate IGA tools for each cloud platform, reducing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If separate identity management systems are maintained for each cloud platform, then platform-specific security requirements are met, but the management burden and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary synchronization of user identities and access privileges from multiple cloud platforms into the unified identity cloud before access requests occur. This pre-synchronization ensures that when users need to access resources across different clouds, the authentication and authorization decisions can be made quickly based on pre-processed identity data, reducing management time while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified identity cloud acts as an intermediary layer between users and multiple cloud platforms. It mediates authentication and authorization requests by translating between different cloud platforms' security protocols and providing a standardized interface, thereby reducing the time required to manage platform-specific security requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cloud platforms are integrated without unification, then organizations can access diverse resources, but security vulnerabilities increase due to inconsistent access control
Solution Approach 1:
The unified identity cloud maintains platform-specific authorization models for each cloud platform while providing centralized management. Each cloud platform's unique security requirements and access control characteristics are preserved locally within the unified system, allowing customized security policies for AWS, Azure, and GCP while ensuring consistent overall security through centralized coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for unifying multiple identity clouds are described. A software platform may receive a first request from a first user to build an authorization model for a resource using a first cloud platform. The authorization model may identify parameters associated with accessing the resource. The software platform may receive, from the first user, a second request to integrate the resource with a second cloud platform in accordance with the authorization model. The software platform may authorize the first request and the second request using a directory associated with the software platform. The software platform may receive a third request from a second user to access the resource using the second cloud platform. The software platform may authorize the third request using the directory. Authorization of the third request may be performed accordance to the authorization model and based on a second credential associated with the second user.