Apporetum Architecture

Modern IAM Architecture with Microsoft Entra

Identity Access Management (IAM) is a critical component in securing cloud environments, ensuring that the right individuals have the appropriate access to the right resources at the right times for the right reasons. In today's digital landscape, the shift to cloud computing has revolutionised how businesses operate, offering scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. However, this shift also introduces new security challenges, particularly in managing user identities, accounts and access to resources.

Cloud IAM is now a Shared Responsibility Model

In the Microsoft cloud environment, IAM operates under a shared responsibility model, dividing responsibilities between Microsoft and the customer. Azure/Entra responsibilities include managing core IAM components such as account management, access management, authentication and authorisation, and monitoring and auditing. Customers, on the other hand, are tasked with managing and monitoring the workforce person in their Human Capital Management system and user accounts, groups, group memberships, roles, and policies in their tenant. They must apply appropriate configurations and permissions using the Entra tools and analyse access patterns and review permissions to maintain security and compliance. In other words, ensuring the data for accounts and entitlements is genuine and current is the Customer's responsibility.

Microsoft Entra IAM Architecture

You could describe Microsoft Entra as a toolkit that provides the foundation of IAM capabilities in Entra environments, offering comprehensive services, albeit disconnected, for managing accounts, authentication, and authorised access to resources. Entra is similar to Azure in that Azure provides you with all the building blocks to build whatever you can imagine in the cloud while Entra provides all the tools you need to build an IAM practice and capability, but the tying together of these capabilities to form a comprehensive and cohesive IAM practice is left to the customer.

Entra ID gives you the foundations of all the modern identity capabilities such as authentication, authorisation, auditing, sign-in analysis, account management, entitlements, groups, roles and group memberships all rolled into a single Identity provider (Entra ID). However, automating the provisioning and lifecycle management requires bespoke code and orchestration of the Entra services and capabilities. Additional licensing will also light up more capabilities to perform lifecycle management of joiner, mover, and leaver events, and access reviews over accounts in the directory.

Organisations can build their IAM architecture leveraging Entra's toolkit and integrating and orchestrating them with PowerShell, Logic Apps, Power Automate, and DevOps pipelines. However, this approach can introduce significant complexity and risk. PowerShell scripting and other automation tools require a high level of expertise, and mistakes can lead to security vulnerabilities or operational disruptions. Additionally, maintaining and updating scripts can be resource-intensive, diverting valuable IT resources from strategic initiatives and potentially creating a brittle system that is difficult to scale.

The problem with this approach is that it quite often introduces significant complexity and risk. PowerShell scripting and other distributed automation capabilities require a high level of expertise and monitoring, and mistakes and omissions in scripts can lead to security vulnerabilities or operational disruptions. With these types of disconnected bespoke automation mechanisms, you need to have robust monitoring and alerting so responding to exceptions the scripts do not manage and errors they output are investigated and addressed. The need for manual intervention to manage and update scripts increases the likelihood of errors, undermining the consistency and reliability of identity and access management processes. It also requires you to maintain a DevOps capability to manage version control and testing across multiple environments (e.g dev, test, prod)

Simplifying IAM in Azure with Apporetum

Apporetum streamlines IAM in Microsoft cloud environments by seamlessly integrating with Entra's capabilities, eliminating the need for complex PowerShell and bespoke automation scripting and masking the complexity through a business intimacy layer designed for IAM/IGA teams. Instead of manually scripting each process and workflow, Apporetum provides a unified interface that automates and manages IAM tasks across the Entra ecosystem and across your Active Directory ecosystem. This simplification reduces the risk of errors and ensures consistent application of IAM policies, making the overall system more reliable and easier to maintain.

Moreover, Apporetum's built-in features offer advanced customisation without the need for expensive Azure engineering teams. IAM teams can easily define and implement organisational policies, manage roles and permissions, and conduct compliance checks through an intuitive, business-friendly interface. This not only accelerates the deployment of IAM strategies but also ensures they are tailored to the specific needs of the organisation, enhancing both security and efficiency.

Apporetum also enhances monitoring and reporting capabilities, providing real-time insights and alerts without the complexity of custom PowerShell scripts or the need to drive information from SIEMs. Its robust analytics tools allow for comprehensive tracking of access patterns and potential security threats, ensuring that organisations can respond promptly and effectively. By centralising and simplifying these processes, Apporetum enables organisations to maintain a strong security posture while freeing up IT resources to focus on strategic initiatives.

Deploy Apporetum from Your Microsoft Marketplace

Deploying Apporetum is straightforward and efficient through the Microsoft Marketplace. The solution is designed to keep your identity data within your Azure tenant, ensuring data sovereignty and compliance with local regulations. With Apporetum, you can be up and running within hours and have a fully configured and operational IAM system within a few days. This rapid deployment capability minimises downtime and accelerates your organisation's ability to secure and manage identities effectively, providing peace of mind and operational continuity.

Incremental Adoption and Legacy System Integration

Apporetum is designed to run alongside any existing legacy IAM systems, allowing for a gradual migration of policies and processes to cloud first capabilities. This approach avoids the risks associated with big-bang implementations and enables organisations to transition smoothly to modern IAM. By supporting incremental adoption, Apporetum ensures that businesses can adapt and scale their IAM capabilities without disrupting ongoing operations. This flexibility makes it easier to integrate new IAM practices and policies while maintaining continuity and stability within the organisation.

Migrating from Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) to a Cloud-Ready IAM Capability

Apporetum's support for legacy systems also ensures that your current IAM operations continue without interruption during the migration. As your organisation moves towards a fully cloud-based IAM solution, Apporetum provides the necessary tools and support to ensure a smooth transition. This includes comprehensive migration planning, execution, and post-migration support to address any issues that may arise. By leveraging Apporetum, organisations can achieve a modern, cloud-ready IAM infrastructure that is more scalable, secure, and efficient than traditional on-premises solutions.

Migrating from Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) to a cloud-ready IAM capability is a significant step towards modernising your identity management infrastructure. Apporetum facilitates this transition by allowing existing MIM setup to be migrated in a phased migration that minimizes disruption. With Apporetum, organisations can gradually transfer policies, roles, and user data to the cloud, ensuring that all identity management processes are updated and optimised for the cloud environment. This method reduces the risk and complexity typically associated with such migrations, making it a manageable and efficient process.