Enhancing Cloud Security with Just-in-Time Access and Entitlement Management
About the Customer
A leading financial institution serving millions of customers across multiple regions, the customer provides essential banking and financial services. With increasing regulatory demands and evolving cybersecurity threats, the institution needed a robust security framework to manage user entitlements, enforce least privilege access, and secure critical cloud resources.
Customer Challenge
As the bank expanded its cloud infrastructure, it faced challenges in managing excessive access permissions. Employees, contractors, and third-party vendors had persistent entitlements to sensitive systems, increasing the risk of unauthorized access and insider threats. The absence of automated entitlement reviews and temporary access mechanisms left gaps in security, complicating regulatory compliance and increasing operational inefficiencies.
Without proactive management of cloud permissions, the institution risked data breaches, audit failures, and potential financial penalties. An urgent need arose for a dynamic security model that could provide real-time access governance while maintaining a seamless user experience for employees and administrators.
Partner Solution
To address these challenges, the institution deployed a Cloud Infrastructure Entitlements Management (CIEM) and Just-in-Time (JIT) Access solution using AWS-native security services. The strategy focused on reducing standing privileges, enforcing automated entitlement reviews, and implementing a secure, on-demand access model.
The solution began by integrating AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), where role-based access controls (RBAC) were implemented to ensure users only received permissions required for their roles. AWS IAM Access Analyzer continuously scanned permissions to detect excessive entitlements, helping security teams proactively remove unnecessary access rights. To segment access at the network level, AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) was configured to isolate workloads based on security classifications.
To enhance entitlement governance, AWS Config continuously monitored permission assignments, identifying policy deviations and ensuring compliance with internal security standards. AWS CloudTrail recorded all authentication events and permission changes, providing a full audit trail for regulatory audits and forensic investigations. Suspicious entitlement modifications triggered automated alerts through Amazon CloudWatch, allowing security teams to respond in real time.
For Just-in-Time (JIT) Access, AWS Systems Manager Session Manager was deployed to enable administrators and privileged users to request temporary access to sensitive cloud resources. This approach eliminated the need for persistent credentials while ensuring secure, time-limited access. To further strengthen security, AWS Secrets Manager securely stored and rotated short-term credentials, preventing long-lived access key exposure. AWS Key Management Service (KMS) enforced encryption policies, securing data in transit and at rest.
To prevent unauthorized access attempts, AWS Network Firewall enforced strict traffic policies, reducing the risk of lateral movement within cloud environments. Security event automation was orchestrated through AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS) and AWS Simple Queue Service (SQS), ensuring administrators were promptly notified of security anomalies and entitlement changes.
Primary AWS Services Used
- AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Enforces fine-grained access controls and ensures least privilege principles.
- AWS Secrets Manager: Securely stores and rotates temporary credentials for privileged access.
- AWS Systems Manager Session Manager: Enables Just-in-Time (JIT) access to resources without persistent credentials.
- AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Encrypts sensitive data at rest and in transit.
- AWS Network Firewall: Monitors and restricts unauthorized network traffic.
- AWS Config: Continuously monitors and evaluates permission assignments for compliance.
- AWS CloudTrail: Logs all access requests and modifications for auditability.
- Amazon CloudWatch: Monitors access patterns and generates real-time alerts for suspicious activities.
- Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS): Sends real-time alerts to security teams.
- Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS): Orchestrates automated security event handling.
- Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3): Stores audit logs and compliance reports securely.
Results and Benefits
The implementation of AWS security services delivered measurable improvements in security governance and operational efficiency:
- 80% reduction in standing privileges, significantly lowering the risk of insider threats.
- Automated entitlement reviews, cutting manual compliance efforts by 60%.
- Faster incident response, reducing security investigation times by 50%.
- Full encryption of privileged access, ensuring secure Just-in-Time credential issuance.
- Improved compliance posture, aligning with financial industry security regulations.
By leveraging AWS-native tools, the institution strengthened its cloud security posture, reduced risk exposure, and achieved a scalable, compliant identity governance model.
About the Partner
Qucoon is an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner and an AWS Advanced Training Partner creating and driving AWS Cloud values for enterprise and public sector customers across geographies through:
- Cloud strategy, migration & modernization
- Solutions engineering & managed services
- Machine Learning & AI
- FinOps and cost optimization
About Client
About the Customer
A leading financial institution serving millions of customers across multiple regions, the customer provides essential banking and financial services. With increasing regulatory demands and evolving cybersecurity threats, the institution needed a robust security framework to manage user entitlements, enforce least privilege access, and secure critical cloud resources.
Customer Challenge
As the bank expanded its cloud infrastructure, it faced challenges in managing excessive access permissions. Employees, contractors, and third-party vendors had persistent entitlements to sensitive systems, increasing the risk of unauthorized access and insider threats. The absence of automated entitlement reviews and temporary access mechanisms left gaps in security, complicating regulatory compliance and increasing operational inefficiencies.
Without proactive management of cloud permissions, the institution risked data breaches, audit failures, and potential financial penalties. An urgent need arose for a dynamic security model that could provide real-time access governance while maintaining a seamless user experience for employees and administrators.
Partner Solution
To address these challenges, the institution deployed a Cloud Infrastructure Entitlements Management (CIEM) and Just-in-Time (JIT) Access solution using AWS-native security services. The strategy focused on reducing standing privileges, enforcing automated entitlement reviews, and implementing a secure, on-demand access model.
The solution began by integrating AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), where role-based access controls (RBAC) were implemented to ensure users only received permissions required for their roles. AWS IAM Access Analyzer continuously scanned permissions to detect excessive entitlements, helping security teams proactively remove unnecessary access rights. To segment access at the network level, AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) was configured to isolate workloads based on security classifications.
To enhance entitlement governance, AWS Config continuously monitored permission assignments, identifying policy deviations and ensuring compliance with internal security standards. AWS CloudTrail recorded all authentication events and permission changes, providing a full audit trail for regulatory audits and forensic investigations. Suspicious entitlement modifications triggered automated alerts through Amazon CloudWatch, allowing security teams to respond in real time.
For Just-in-Time (JIT) Access, AWS Systems Manager Session Manager was deployed to enable administrators and privileged users to request temporary access to sensitive cloud resources. This approach eliminated the need for persistent credentials while ensuring secure, time-limited access. To further strengthen security, AWS Secrets Manager securely stored and rotated short-term credentials, preventing long-lived access key exposure. AWS Key Management Service (KMS) enforced encryption policies, securing data in transit and at rest.
To prevent unauthorized access attempts, AWS Network Firewall enforced strict traffic policies, reducing the risk of lateral movement within cloud environments. Security event automation was orchestrated through AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS) and AWS Simple Queue Service (SQS), ensuring administrators were promptly notified of security anomalies and entitlement changes.
Primary AWS Services Used
- AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Enforces fine-grained access controls and ensures least privilege principles.
- AWS Secrets Manager: Securely stores and rotates temporary credentials for privileged access.
- AWS Systems Manager Session Manager: Enables Just-in-Time (JIT) access to resources without persistent credentials.
- AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Encrypts sensitive data at rest and in transit.
- AWS Network Firewall: Monitors and restricts unauthorized network traffic.
- AWS Config: Continuously monitors and evaluates permission assignments for compliance.
- AWS CloudTrail: Logs all access requests and modifications for auditability.
- Amazon CloudWatch: Monitors access patterns and generates real-time alerts for suspicious activities.
- Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS): Sends real-time alerts to security teams.
- Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS): Orchestrates automated security event handling.
- Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3): Stores audit logs and compliance reports securely.
Results and Benefits
The implementation of AWS security services delivered measurable improvements in security governance and operational efficiency:
- 80% reduction in standing privileges, significantly lowering the risk of insider threats.
- Automated entitlement reviews, cutting manual compliance efforts by 60%.
- Faster incident response, reducing security investigation times by 50%.
- Full encryption of privileged access, ensuring secure Just-in-Time credential issuance.
- Improved compliance posture, aligning with financial industry security regulations.
By leveraging AWS-native tools, the institution strengthened its cloud security posture, reduced risk exposure, and achieved a scalable, compliant identity governance model.
About the Partner
Qucoon is an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner and an AWS Advanced Training Partner creating and driving AWS Cloud values for enterprise and public sector customers across geographies through:
- Cloud strategy, migration & modernization
- Solutions engineering & managed services
- Machine Learning & AI
- FinOps and cost optimization
Business Background
About the Customer
A leading financial institution serving millions of customers across multiple regions, the customer provides essential banking and financial services. With increasing regulatory demands and evolving cybersecurity threats, the institution needed a robust security framework to manage user entitlements, enforce least privilege access, and secure critical cloud resources.
Customer Challenge
As the bank expanded its cloud infrastructure, it faced challenges in managing excessive access permissions. Employees, contractors, and third-party vendors had persistent entitlements to sensitive systems, increasing the risk of unauthorized access and insider threats. The absence of automated entitlement reviews and temporary access mechanisms left gaps in security, complicating regulatory compliance and increasing operational inefficiencies.
Without proactive management of cloud permissions, the institution risked data breaches, audit failures, and potential financial penalties. An urgent need arose for a dynamic security model that could provide real-time access governance while maintaining a seamless user experience for employees and administrators.
Partner Solution
To address these challenges, the institution deployed a Cloud Infrastructure Entitlements Management (CIEM) and Just-in-Time (JIT) Access solution using AWS-native security services. The strategy focused on reducing standing privileges, enforcing automated entitlement reviews, and implementing a secure, on-demand access model.
The solution began by integrating AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), where role-based access controls (RBAC) were implemented to ensure users only received permissions required for their roles. AWS IAM Access Analyzer continuously scanned permissions to detect excessive entitlements, helping security teams proactively remove unnecessary access rights. To segment access at the network level, AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) was configured to isolate workloads based on security classifications.
To enhance entitlement governance, AWS Config continuously monitored permission assignments, identifying policy deviations and ensuring compliance with internal security standards. AWS CloudTrail recorded all authentication events and permission changes, providing a full audit trail for regulatory audits and forensic investigations. Suspicious entitlement modifications triggered automated alerts through Amazon CloudWatch, allowing security teams to respond in real time.
For Just-in-Time (JIT) Access, AWS Systems Manager Session Manager was deployed to enable administrators and privileged users to request temporary access to sensitive cloud resources. This approach eliminated the need for persistent credentials while ensuring secure, time-limited access. To further strengthen security, AWS Secrets Manager securely stored and rotated short-term credentials, preventing long-lived access key exposure. AWS Key Management Service (KMS) enforced encryption policies, securing data in transit and at rest.
To prevent unauthorized access attempts, AWS Network Firewall enforced strict traffic policies, reducing the risk of lateral movement within cloud environments. Security event automation was orchestrated through AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS) and AWS Simple Queue Service (SQS), ensuring administrators were promptly notified of security anomalies and entitlement changes.
Primary AWS Services Used
- AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Enforces fine-grained access controls and ensures least privilege principles.
- AWS Secrets Manager: Securely stores and rotates temporary credentials for privileged access.
- AWS Systems Manager Session Manager: Enables Just-in-Time (JIT) access to resources without persistent credentials.
- AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Encrypts sensitive data at rest and in transit.
- AWS Network Firewall: Monitors and restricts unauthorized network traffic.
- AWS Config: Continuously monitors and evaluates permission assignments for compliance.
- AWS CloudTrail: Logs all access requests and modifications for auditability.
- Amazon CloudWatch: Monitors access patterns and generates real-time alerts for suspicious activities.
- Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS): Sends real-time alerts to security teams.
- Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS): Orchestrates automated security event handling.
- Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3): Stores audit logs and compliance reports securely.
Results and Benefits
The implementation of AWS security services delivered measurable improvements in security governance and operational efficiency:
- 80% reduction in standing privileges, significantly lowering the risk of insider threats.
- Automated entitlement reviews, cutting manual compliance efforts by 60%.
- Faster incident response, reducing security investigation times by 50%.
- Full encryption of privileged access, ensuring secure Just-in-Time credential issuance.
- Improved compliance posture, aligning with financial industry security regulations.
By leveraging AWS-native tools, the institution strengthened its cloud security posture, reduced risk exposure, and achieved a scalable, compliant identity governance model.
About the Partner
Qucoon is an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner and an AWS Advanced Training Partner creating and driving AWS Cloud values for enterprise and public sector customers across geographies through:
- Cloud strategy, migration & modernization
- Solutions engineering & managed services
- Machine Learning & AI
- FinOps and cost optimization
