Google Cloud IAM supports identity federation, allowing you to integrate your existing identity provider (IdP) with GCP. This simplifies user management and provides a seamless single sign-on experience for your users.
Identity Federation and Single Sign-On (SSO) are critical components of modern cloud-based systems, enabling seamless and secure access to resources and applications. In Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Identity Federation and SSO are implemented through various services and integrations, which we will discuss in detail, including their definitions, use cases, examples, costs, and pros and cons.
Definition:
Identity Federation is the process of linking a user’s identity across multiple identity management systems. It allows users to authenticate with an external identity provider (IdP) and access resources in GCP without needing a separate GCP account. Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication mechanism that enables users to access multiple applications or services with a single set of credentials, streamlining the authentication process and improving user experience.
How to use:
1. Google Workspace (formerly G Suite): GCP natively integrates with Google Workspace for identity management and SSO. Google Workspace users can access GCP resources using their existing credentials. To enable SSO, you can configure Google Workspace to use Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) 2.0 with external applications.
2. Cloud Identity: Cloud Identity is a standalone identity and access management (IAM) service that extends Google Workspace’s IAM capabilities to organizations that don’t use Google Workspace. It provides user and group management, SSO, and multi-factor authentication (MFA). You can also set up SSO for third-party applications using SAML 2.0.
3. Identity Platform: Identity Platform is a customer identity and access management (CIAM) service that allows you to authenticate users with various identity providers, such as Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. You can also use Identity Platform to add SSO to your applications using OpenID Connect (OIDC) or SAML 2.0.
4. Third-Party Identity Providers: GCP supports SSO with popular third-party IdPs, such as Okta, Azure Active Directory, and Auth0. You can configure GCP to trust these IdPs using SAML 2.0 or OIDC.
Use cases:
– Centralized user management: Identity Federation and SSO enable organizations to centralize user management and reduce the overhead of maintaining multiple sets of credentials.
– Simplified access control: SSO reduces the complexity of access control by allowing users to access multiple applications with a single authentication mechanism.
– Improved user experience: Users no longer need to remember multiple usernames and passwords, leading to a more streamlined and user-friendly experience.
– Enhanced security: By consolidating authentication processes, organizations can implement strong security measures, such as MFA, across all applications more easily.
Examples:
1. An organization using Google Workspace can configure SSO for a third-party application, such as Salesforce, by creating a SAML app in the Google Admin Console and providing the necessary SAML configuration details to Salesforce.
2. A company using Azure Active Directory can set up SSO with GCP by configuring a SAML 2.0 trust relationship between Azure AD and GCP. Users can then access GCP resources using their Azure AD credentials.
Costs:
– Google Workspace and Cloud Identity offer a free tier with basic functionality, while premium features like advanced security and SSO for third-party apps require a paid subscription.
– Identity Platform uses a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on monthly active users (MAUs) and authentication events.
– Costs for third-party IdPs vary depending on the provider and their pricing plans.
