In the late ’90s, BlackBerry Enterprise Server or BES was launched by BlackBerry Limited as a designated Middleware software package. The software and service connect to messaging and collaboration solutions for the enterprise network. This was one of the initial findings in the mobility management for the enterprises that created a new IT infrastructure positions-Mobility Admin, engineer, and architect. A new world of mobility is taking shape with the support of Windows 10 and Modern Management APIs. The endpoint management and mobility are being combined together for better enterprise device management. Unified endpoint management will be replacing the legacy admin solutions that control the devices and access with different policies.

In the enterprises, mobility admins are being asked to understand the foundational elements of different operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Linux and also the identity. Dealing with different security issues the enterprises are looking towards different device characteristics such as security, user responsibilities, geographical location and more. Identity and Access management secure the data but also affects the IT infrastructure. Mobile Admin should be identifying the key concepts and policies that will affect the user’s access.

Deriving The Identity And Access Management (IAM)

As mobility engineers are deploying new applications in an enterprise environment to support user requirements. It becomes imperative that the users can experience the complete features of the application but also maintaining the basic identity and access management will be the underlying feature,

1. What will be the authentication steps for the users?

2. How will the Identity Development Program (IDP) connect to different enterprise applications?

3. How the verified user’s access to applications?

Authentication Steps for The User

Enterprises have to provide a dynamic solution for the authentication of the users, as devices differ the platform used for access will differ. A mobility engineer will be expected to create a sizeable method that can fit all platforms and be effective. The authentication methodology can be pretty vast for each enterprise as the user change but here are a few of the important techniques:

1. Kerberos

Kerberos is a computer network authentication protocol that works using the ticketing system that allows the nodes to communicate over the non-secured network. The ticketing system helps in identity management for secured communication.

2. Certificate-Based Authentication (CBA)

Certificates and SSL authentication are used for user authentication. The user usually sends a certificate along with a digitally signed data that is considered as an evidence for the user system. The server authenticates the user identity depending on the strength of evidence.

3. Username and Password

The username and password methods can be used to authenticate the users on the servers but it will age-old methods. The security level is low compared to the above two, due to ease of manipulation and ease of access.

Multiple step authentications are considered as an option for better user identity verification on the enterprise network.

Identity Development Program (IDP) Connects To Different Enterprise Applications

Once the user identity is authenticated, the identity development program must be combined with the application to unify them. Here are fa ew techniques that can be used for authentication:

1. SAML

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is a standard protocol used by the web browser for the single sign-on (SSO) using the secured tokens. SAML is based on the digital signature concept for secured sign-in from the IDP to the SaaS applications.

2. Token-Based Authentication

The Token-based authentication allows the user to enter a specific username and password to obtain a certain type of token that allows fetching specific information. Once the token has been obtained it offers the access to the specific resource for a specific period time.

Enterprises can build trust among the employees if all the key applications are delivered seamless and through the transparent path.

Verified User’s Application Access

After creating a proper path and policy for the authentication the IT admins need to understand how the users will be able to access the application. The access to the application comes to a few key characteristics that include device posture, network, and device platform. Once all the device postures have been verified from the different application point of view and also users and devices it will be the responsibility of the IT admins to identify the risks associated with each app based on the security. A combination of different security and authentication features helps in demonstrating the required trust in the infrastructure. Authentication for devices and based on the users can create complexities. The IAM is always considered as one step closer to mobility management but the once the platform is selected it can lead to overdoing.

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