1. Planning.

• Assessment
  ‍Begin by determining who needs access, the resources required, and the purpose. Document current access rights and evaluate whether they can be reduced or eradicated. Contemplate using an entitlement discovery tool for better insight.
• Policy creation
  Establish clear policies for granting and repealing access. Include rules about who can request access, under what conditions, and for how long. Especially for privileged roles, define time-bound parameters.
• Source of truth
  Interface your JIT access system with an Identity Provider (e.g., Okta, Google Workspace, Azure AD, OneLogin). This will serve as the authoritative reference for identities. Decentralizing individual identities over shared accounts will enable more robust authorization control and audit accuracy.

2. Execution.

• Self-serve access requests
  Streamline the process by allowing users to ask for access through the system, instead of through people. Increase adoption rates by integrating with IM platforms like Slack or MS Teams. Ensure requests specify who is asking, the needed service/resource/role, duration, and reason.

• Approval process
  JIT access allows organizations to delegate approvals to people with business knowledge. Resource owners and business unit managers usually have a better context than IT helpdesks. Use messaging platforms for rapid responses, giving approvers all necessary data for an informed decision.

• Conditional approval workflows
  Incorporate your preconceived policies into workflows that determine access permissions. Implement them into processes that dictate who can access what, under which conditions. An effective method is assigning if-then conditions. IF identity group “X” requests access to “Y”, seek approval from “Z” and notify “M”.

• Integrations
  Consider allying JIT access with other IT and security mechanisms to gain more flexibility. Link it with IT ticketing systems for automated access based on ticket status. Couple with data classification systems to modify policies depending on data sensitivity. Ideally, the ability to label resources and group them together can streamline this procedure. Cooperate with on-call schedule software for automated approvals during emergencies. Employ training systems to grant access based on training completion.
• Automated provisioning and depovisioning
  Set a solid understanding of Golinks to effectively grant and revoke access automatically within the service. This is crucial for JIT Access because it lessens the dependence on people's availability. It allows for automated deprovisioning of access, which is at JIT access's heart and the policy of least privilege access (POLP). Ideally, you would manage all permissions centrally, without the need to build or oversee an environment for every application.
• Access methods
  ‍For Golinks JIT Access, APIs are preferred because of their adaptability and real-time capabilities. However, using SAML for authentication, SCIM for user provisioning, and APIs for accurate access control decisions might be necessary.

3. Maintenance.

• Regular audits
  Regularly review access logs to ensure that JIT access is functioning as expected. Look for any irregular patterns or behaviors directly or by importing the logs into your SIEM. The user access evaluation process can be automated to speed up evidence gathering, assign reviewers, and ensure compliance with relevant industry regulations or standards.
• User training
  Teach users, particularly privileged ones, about the significance of least privilege, JIT Access, and its functioning. Ensure users know how to apply for access when required.
• Feedback loop
  Maintain a steady review of your JIT access processes. Seek input from users and IT staff to recognize where enhancements can be made.

By following this methodical approach, you'll be able to effectively implement a robust Just-in-Time Access system for Golinks.