1. Planning.

• Assessment
  Start with identifying who needs access, what resources they require, and the reason for this requirement. Catalog existing access rights and determine if they can be minimized or removed. For improved visibility, use an entitlement discovery tool.
• Policy Creation
  Establish clear policies for allocating and revoking access. Incorporate rules about who can request access, under which circumstances, and for how long, especially for privileged roles, it's necessary to specify time-limited parameters.
• Source of truth
  Link your JIT access system with an Identity Provider (e.g., Okta, Google Workspace, Azure AD, OneLogin) to act as the definitive source for identities. Using individual identities instead of shared accounts for increasing or decreasing permission levels provides more control over authorization and improves audit accuracy.

2. Execution.

• Self-serve access requests
  Streamline the process by enabling users to request access via the system rather than individuals. Integrate with IM platforms like Slack or MS Teams to improve adoption rates. Make sure requests include particulars such as the service/resource/role required, duration, and reason.

• Approval process
  JIT access allows organizations to delegate approvals to individuals who are familiar with their operations. Often, resource owners and business unit managers have a better understanding of context than IT helpdesks. Use messaging platforms for quick responses and provide approvers with all necessary information for making an informed decision.

• Conditional approval workflows
  Integrate your predefined policies into approval workflows dictating access permissions. Assign if-then conditions for controlling access.

• Integration
  Integrate JITA with other IT and security systems for increased flexibility. For example, linking with IT ticketing systems for automatic access based on ticket status, or with data classification systems to modify policies based on data sensitivity. In the ideal scenario, you could tag resources and streamline this process. Also, work with on-call scheduling software for automatic approvals during emergencies, and training systems for access permission upon training completion.
• Automated provisioning and deprovisioning
  Gain a strong understanding of ConveyIQ to automatically grant and revoke access within the service effectively. This automated provisioning is essential for JIT Access as it reduces the dependency on individuals to free up time, and automates access deprovisioning, a core principle of JIT access and least privilege access (POLP). Ideally, all permissions would be managed from one central point, eliminating the need to create or manage a unique environment for every application in your organization.

3. Maintenance.

• Regular audits
  Regularly review access logs to ensure JIT access is functioning correctly. Look for unusual patterns or behaviors, either directly or by using your SIEM. Automating the user access review process can expedite evidence collection, delegate reviewers, and ensure system compliance with relevant industry standards or regulations.
• User Training
  Educate users, especially privileged users, about the importance of least privilege and JIT Access, and how it works. It's vital that users understand how to request access when required.
• Feedback loop
  Regularly review your JIT access procedures, seek feedback from users and IT staff to identify areas for improvement.

Using this structured approach will enable you to efficiently implement a robust Just-in-Time Access mechanism for ConveyIQ.