1. Planning.

• Assessment
  Start by identifying the users who need access to Elastic Search. Take note of the specific resources they need and understand the reason why they require access. Utilize elastic capabilities for auditing user access and permissions, and consider potential ways to reduce or eliminate unnecessary access rights.
• Policy formulation
  Develop a highly detailed policy for granting and revoking access to Elastic Search. Specify the conditions, eligibility criteria, and duration for the access requests. This is particularly essential for privileged roles such as super-users or admins. Set up time-bound parameters to limit prolonged access.
• Source of authority
  Link your JIT access implementation with a reliable Identity Provider (IdP) like Google Workspace, Okta, Azure AD, or OneLogin. This helps to ensure individual account identity as opposed to shared accounts, enhancing authorization control and audit accuracy in Elastic Search.

2. Execution.

• Self-serve access requests
  Enable users to send access requests directly through the Elastic Search system. Leverage Integration with Instant Messaging platforms like MS Teams or Slack for more streamlined communication. Access requests should detail the requester, purpose, requested service or resource, duration, and reason.

• Approval process
  Assign approval authority to relevant stakeholders like business leaders or resource owners. Use messaging platforms to expedite approval decision-making.

• Conditional approval workflows
  Embed policies into the approval workflows. These policies should dictate access based on a multitude of conditions and scenarios.

• Integrations
  Enhance your JIT process by integrating it with other vital IT and security systems. Some examples include ticketing for automated access and schedule management for emergency approvals.
• Automated provisioning and deprovisioning
  Gain a comprehensive understanding of Elastic to efficiently provide and revoke granular access automatically within the service. This is crucial for JIT Access as it minimizes waiting for people to become available. It enables automatic deprovisioning of access, which lies at the heart of JIT access and the principle of least privilege access (POLP).

3. Maintenance.

• Regular audits
  Perform regular checks on access logs to ensure JIT access is functioning as planned. Look out for unusual patterns or behaviors either directly or by inputting logs into your SIEM. Automating the user access review process will hasten the evidence gathering, delegate reviewers, and make sure your system adheres to pertinent industry regulations or standards.
• User training
  Regularly train your users, particularly those with privileged access, about the principles of least privilege, JIT Access, and the process for requesting access.
• Feedback loop
  Implement a continuous feedback loop to evaluate and refine your JIT access model. Obtain feedback from IT staff and users to identify improvements and ensure ongoing optimization.

This systematic approach will aid the efficient implementation of a robust JIT access system to Elastic Search.