Control the Cloud
Access Management & SSO For The Cloud
Enterprise Cloud adoption is accelerating. It’s no longer a question of if the Cloud will gain acceptance but how quickly and broadly across the enterprise it will spread. The cost advantages that SaaS delivers continue to accelerate adoption further as enterprises seek to reduce network and infrastructure expenses.
The Cloud is growing in importance; increasingly supporting mission critical enterprise functions such as CRM, SFA, HR, ERP, and collaboration. As SaaS becomes business critical, so does the need to secure this sensitive data. Adding more SaaS apps means more silos and spiraling costs. Accounts and passwords proliferate across the network creating user confusion and helpdesk overload.
A large number of SaaS adoptions started outside traditional IT processes because it was so much easier to acquire and launch. In fact, many SaaS apps still can be acquired using a credit card. The burden of securing, integrating and managing SaaS has shifted to IT departments. CIOs are finding they need to quickly address the issue of how to manage access and identities both internally and externally to their networks.
A New Approach Is Needed To Secure The Cloud
Enterprises must now manage the shift of infrastructure control from the enterprises over to service providers. SaaS providers (not the enterprise) control the application’s technology stack and multi-tenancy arrangements. New ways to secure access for Cloud apps are needed because first generation WAM relies on agents; an outdated architecture that doesn’t work in multi-tenant environments.
In response, IT teams first turn to authentication technology and processes in place today. Soon, they discover first generation identity and access management technology was designed strictly for use on-premises, inside the firewall and not across the Cloud. Agent-based architectures like those used by CA SiteMinder and RSA ClearTrust, along with their assumptions on control of protected applications, no longer function in Cloud-based scenarios. Because Cloud apps are distributed and reside on the Internet, firewall perimeters can’t be used to control access.
Extend Security Policy To The Cloud
The ideal approach to Cloud security is to extend existing roles and policies to the new environment, while keeping the keys to the kingdom - user credentials – inside the firewall. This reduces redundant administration, password reset costs and policy management points.SinglePoint Cloud Access Manager enables security policy to be extended out to the Cloud without exposing internal identities outside the firewall. Users get the convenience of SSO and IT can unify multiple application and security domains.
