Solving the Identity Puzzle: How Interoperability Unlocks Cloud Security Potential

Originally published by Strata.

Written by Steve Lay.

With increased cloud migration and the adoption of cloud-based apps, Cloud Security Architects and IT Decision-Makers are in a race to achieve interoperability between diverse identity systems. This creates a monumental challenge, where the solution, at least in theory, is simple: learn to make these components work together seamlessly.

Of course, what works theoretically and putting those solutions into practice isn’t as straightforward. So let’s explore the concepts of interoperability, composability, and identity fabric. Understanding their significance can unlock the door to an interoperable digital identity landscape with a positive impact on your organization.

What does interoperability mean, and what are some examples?

The concept of interoperability refers to the ability of different systems or components to work together and exchange information effectively. In the context of identity management, interoperability plays a crucial role in ensuring that various identity systems can communicate and collaborate efficiently. Typically, interoperability is only as successful as the ability of the system to work with other systems without much effort required from the business.

There are numerous examples of interoperability. Single Sign-On (SSO) is a prime example of this concept, as it enables users to access multiple services or applications using a single set of authentication credentials.

SSO works hand-in-hand with other technologies, such as Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML), an XML-based standard that promotes a secure and standardized exchange of authentication and authorization data between identity providers (IDPs) and service providers (SPs).

OAuth and OpenID Connect are complementary technologies that also enable interoperability. While OAuth is an open standard for token-based authentication and authorization, OpenID Connect builds an identity layer on top of it.

Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) serve as core components of distributed identity systems, offering interoperable and user-centric digital identity solutions.

Finally, the System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) is an open standard that simplifies the process of managing user identities across diverse systems. SCIM provides a common schema for representing users and groups, as well as a standardized API for handling identity management tasks.

How is interoperability different from composability?

While the concepts of interoperability and composability are similar, they are not interchangeable. We’ve established that interoperability refers to the ability of different systems or components to work together and exchange information effectively.

Composability, on the other hand, refers to the design principle that allows individual components to be combined and recombined to create new systems, applications, or processes. Composability enables organizations to build, adapt, and scale their IT infrastructure by leveraging the interoperability of various components.

Bottom line: while interoperability focuses on the communication between systems, composability emphasizes the modularity and flexibility of the components, enabling them to be easily integrated and adapted to new contexts.

What are the identity management interoperability challenges?

Identity management interoperability presents numerous challenges for organizations, especially as they increasingly move toward cloud and multi-cloud environments. Achieving interoperability is not always simple, and organizations face interrelated challenges that must be addressed.

Competing standards

First, the diversity of standards and protocols, such as SAML, OAuth, and OIDC, can complicate integration processes, often requiring ongoing maintenance. When you add the need to maintain privacy and security into the equation, the degree of difficulty escalates.

As organizations must now adhere to regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), they must also deploy robust security measures like encryption and access control to protect sensitive identity data.

Fragmentation

Another challenge is identity fragmentation, as digital identities multiply across platforms and services. Fragmentation makes tracking, managing, and consolidating user information increasingly difficult. As an organization’s digital footprint grows, so does the need for scalable identity management solutions. Like anything in cybersecurity, striking a balance between performance and security is always key.

Usability

Usability is also a critical concern, as organizations must find that balance between strong security measures and user-friendly experiences. With overly complicated identity management solutions, users can get discouraged, inadvertently facilitating unauthorized access through workarounds.

Interoperability becomes even more challenging in cross-domain or cross-organizational situations, where collaboration among multiple parties with varying trust levels and disparate identity management solutions is required.

Rapid technological advancements complicate matters even further, as organizations must remain agile and adaptable to stay current with emerging trends like distributed identity solutions and blockchain-based identity management systems.

Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach that:

• Integrates diverse protocols
• Maintains data privacy
• Minimizes fragmentation
• Balances scalability, usability, and security

Embracing cross-domain collaboration and adapting to technological advancements will enable organizations to effectively navigate the complexities of identity and access management interoperability.

How does an identity fabric help interoperability?

An identity fabric is a comprehensive framework that aims to improve interoperability among different identity systems. By providing a unified, flexible, and extensible architecture, an identity fabric helps organizations integrate and manage disparate identity data and services.

Before exploring how an identity fabric can enable better interoperability, it’s important to compare the identity fabric with cybersecurity mesh architecture (CSMA). According to Gartner, the two concepts are closely related.

While both frameworks emphasize the need for interoperability and composability, the key distinction lies in where they focus. The identity fabric is specific to the integration of identity data and services, while CSMA is a more comprehensive approach to security that incorporates various security components, policies, and controls.

Here are a few key ways an identity fabric helps enable interoperability:

Standardization

Promotes the use of standardized protocols and data formats, simplifying communication between different systems.

Centralization

Enables centralized management of identity data and services, streamlining authentication and authorization processes across multiple systems.

Abstraction

Separates the complexities of individual identity systems, allowing organizations to focus on higher-level business requirements and strategies.

Flexibility

Supports integration of new technologies, standards, and regulations, allowing organizations to adapt to the evolving digital landscape.

Interoperability benefits

Ultimately, when disparate systems work together, organizations can realize significant benefits that improve security, enhance the user experience, simplify administration, and increase agility.

Improved security

Integrated identity systems allow for improved monitoring of and access control to resources, reducing the risk of security breaches or unauthorized access.

Enhanced user experience

Seamless interoperability allows users to access resources and services across multiple systems with a single set of credentials, simplifying their experience.

Streamlined administration

Unified management of identity data and services reduces the complexity of managing multiple identity systems and improves overall operational efficiency.

Increased agility

The ability to easily integrate new technologies, standards, and regulations empowers organizations to rapidly adapt to evolving business requirements and stay competitive.

How an identity fabric creates interoperability

Interoperability and orchestration are crucial for enhancing flexibility and adaptability in identity management ecosystems. They enable organizations to easily swap out identity services and identity providers (IDPs) as needed, ensuring systems remain up-to-date, secure, and efficient.

One example of this flexibility is the integration of passwordless authentication solutions. With interoperable systems, organizations can seamlessly transition from old-school password-based authentication to passwordless authentication methods. With tools like HYPR, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches and phishing attacks while also providing a more user-friendly and efficient login experience.

Interoperability and orchestration also allow organizations to easily switch between different IDPs, which can be incredibly valuable in situations where mergers, acquisitions, or strategic partnerships are involved. Organizations can rapidly integrate their systems with new partners’ IDPs, ensuring seamless and secure user access across the entire ecosystem.