1. Planning.

• Assessment
  Begin by identifying who in your Jenkins environment requires access, what resources they need, and why they need them. Document existing access permissions and determine if they can be minimized or removed. Consider using an entitlement discovery tool for more comprehensive visibility.
• Policy creation
  Clearly outline policies for both granting and revoking access. Define under which conditions someone can request access, and for how long. Particularly for elevated roles, establish time-bound restrictions.
• Source of truth
  Connect your JIT access system to an Identity Provider such as Okta, Google Workspace, Azure AD or OneLogin. By maintaining individual identities rather than shared accounts, you'll gain better control of authorizations and increase audit accuracy.

2. Execution.

• Self-serve access requests
  Make the process more efficient by enabling users to request access through the system rather than individually. Encourage adoption by integrating with platforms like Slack or MS Teams. When requests come in, they should clearly identify the requester, the required service/resource/role, duration, and purpose.

• Approval process
  Use JIT access to let those with business context, such as resource owners or managers, handle approvals. This often provides better context than IT helpdesks. Utilize messaging platforms for quick responses and provide approvers with all necessary information for an informed decision.

• Conditional approval workflows
  Incorporate your established policies into workflows defining access permissions. Using rules such as IF identity group “X” requests access to “Y”, first seek approval from “Z” and then notify “M”. Integrations - Link your JIT access system with other IT and security systems to enhance flexibility.

• Access methods
  For JIT access in a Jenkins environment, APIs are often the best choice due to their real-time capabilities and flexibility. Still, a mix of solutions may be required, such as using SAML for authentication, SCIM for user provisioning and APIs for precise access controls.

3. Maintenance.

• Regular audits
  Frequently review access logs to ensure that JIT access is functioning as expected. Look for unusual patterns or behaviors either directly or by integrating the logs into your SIEM system.
• User training
  Teach users, especially those with elevated privileges, about the importance of least privilege and JIT Access, and instruct them on how to request access.
• Feedback loop
  Consistently review your JIT access procedures and actively seek feedback from both users and IT staff to understand potential improvements.

Through this strategic approach, you'll be able to effectively implement a robust Just-in-Time Access system for Jenkins.