Identity and Access Management

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is one of the critical components of any enterprise level database management system which required to define, manage the access identity, and apply the control policies. With this it will be more efficient and gives a better control of any user access to our systems. Managing user access, permissions, and privileges is essential to ensure data security and compliance with regulatory requirements. In this article, we will see how to design for IAM on Oracle database (One of the most popular enterprise database management systems that are available). There are many products available but the best option is to use own design to achieve the organization goal for better visibility.

Step 1: Define User Roles and Responsibilities 

The first step in creating an IAM design for Oracle Database is to define user roles and responsibilities. This includes identifying which users need access to which data, what level of access they require, and what their responsibilities are within the organization. Once user roles and responsibilities are defined, you can create security policies and procedures that align with them.

Step 2: Create User Groups 

The next action that we need to take for creating the user groups as the user roles and responsibilities are defined on earlier steps. User groups are a collection of users with similar roles and responsibilities. By grouping users together, you can assign permissions and access controls to the entire group, rather than having to manage individual users' permissions separately.

Step 3: Define Access Controls

These are used to manage user access to data and resources within the Oracle Database. Access controls can be defined at the user, group, or object level. Which means this defines what level or type of access to specific data a user or group will have and what actions they can performed.

Step 4: Authentication using SSO (Single Sign-On)

SSO is a security method or process that allows users to login once and access multiple systems without having to enter their credentials repeatedly. SSO can be implemented using Oracle Access Manager, which provides a centralized authentication and authorization service that can be integrated with Oracle Database.

Step 5: Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) - Conditional or optional

It is an additional layer of security that can be implemented for users to access Oracle database more than one form of authentication but this is optional not mandatory that should be implemented based on business criticality and if only brining values on making this. MFA can be implemented using Oracle Identity Cloud Service, which provides a range of authentication methods, including SMS, email, and biometric verification.

Step 6: Monitor and Audit User Activity Monitoring

Monitoring and Auditing user activity is very essential and critical for detecting and preventing security breaches. Built-in auditing capabilities are already present within Oracle database to track all the footprints of a user from login to access any data and logouts. You can also use third-party tools such as Oracle Audit Vault and Database Firewall to enhance auditing and monitoring capabilities or you can define your custom audit process to capture but better option is not use built-in capabilities or use a third-party tool to avoid more maintenance.

In conclusion, creating a design for IAM on Oracle Database is a crucial step in ensuring data security and compliance. By defining user roles and responsibilities, creating user groups, implementing access controls, SSO, MFA, and monitoring and auditing user activity, you can establish a robust and secure IAM framework for your Oracle Database.


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