Enhancing Identity Governance & Administration with AWS Security Solutions
About Client
The customer is a leading financial institution in Nigeria, providing banking services to millions of customers. Aspart of its cloud transformation journey, the bank sought to enhance itsidentity and access governance to align with compliance requirements and mitigate security risks associated with unauthorized access.
Challenges
The bank faced significant challenges in managing identity governance across its hybrid cloud environment. The lack of centralized access control led to security vulnerabilities, including excessive permissions and difficulty in enforcing least privilege access. Additionally, the absence of automated privilege access management (PAM) resulted inprolonged access to sensitive financial data, increasing the risk of insiderthreats.
If left unaddressed, these challenges could lead to regulatory non-compliance, data breaches, and increased operational costs associated with manual identity management processes. Thebank needed a robust solution to streamline identity governance, enforce compliance, and reduce security risks.
How Qucoon Helped
To secure access to critical banking resources, the journey began with enforcing strict identity governance. Employees and administrators authenticated through AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO), ensuring a centralized and secure entry point. Access was then controlled using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM),where fine-grained policies were implemented to enforce least privilegeprinciples. AWS Organizations and Service Control Policies (SCPs) extended governance across multiple accounts, ensuring uniform security controls.
Asusers interacted with AWS services, their access patterns were continuouslyanalyzed. AWS IAM Access Analyzer monitored permissions, identifying andrevoking excessive privileges. AWS Config enforced compliance policies,ensuring that security configurations remained intact. AWS Trusted Advisor provided insights into IAM best practices, recommending adjustments to optimizesecurity.
For privileged access, a just-in-time (JIT) approach was introduced. Instead ofstanding permissions, AWS Secrets Manager securely stored and rotated credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys. When administrators needed secure shell (SSH) or command-line access to resources, AWS Systems Manager Session Manager provided controlled, auditable sessions without exposing credentials.
Beyond access controls, real-time monitoring was established to detect potential threats. AWS CloudTrail logged all authentication attempts and access events,ensuring an auditable trail of activities. Amazon CloudWatch generated alertsfor unusual login attempts or unauthorized access patterns. AWS Security Hub consolidated findings from multiple security services, providing a unified view of the organization’s security posture. Amazon GuardDuty continuously analyzed logs to detect potential threats, helping security teams act swiftly.
Asusers interacted with databases and stored sensitive financial information,data encryption was enforced across all layers. AWS Key Management Service (KMS) ensured encryption for data at rest and in transit. Amazon RDS enforced encryption and backup retention policies, ensuring secure database operations. Amazon S3 stored audit logs with encryption enabled, protecting historical access data.
To further enhance compliance, AWS Audit Manager automated regulatory assessments,streamlining adherence to PCI-DSS and ISO 27001 standards. AWS Cloud Formation ensured that infrastructure was deployed securely, aligning with best practicesfrom the AWS Well-Architected Framework. AWS Service Catalog standardized security-compliant resource provisioning across the organization.
Throughout the journey, automated notifications and alerts kept stakeholders informed. Amazon SNS and Amazon SQS facilitated secure communication, ensuring thatsecurity teams received real-time updates on potential security risks. Continuous compliance monitoring ensured that security policies evolved alongside regulatory requirements, keeping the bank’s cloud environment secureand resilient.
Primary AWS Services Used:
1. AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Fine-grained policies were implemented to enforce least privilege principles, ensuring users only had access to necessary resources.
2. AWS Config: Continuous compliance monitoring ensured that security configurations remained intact and aligned with regulatory requirements.
3. AWS Secrets Manager: Privileged credentials were securely stored and rotated, eliminating long-lived access keys and reducing the risk of credential misuse.
4. AWS CloudTrail: All authentication attempts and access events were logged, providing an auditable trail for compliance and forensic investigations.
5. Amazon CloudWatch: Real-time monitoring of access patterns enabled the detection of unusual login attempts or unauthorized activities.
6. AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Encryption for data at rest and in transit was enforced, protecting sensitive financial information.
7. AWS CloudFormation: Infrastructure was deployed securely, aligning with AWS Well-Architected Framework best practices.
8. AWS Service Catalog: Standardized security-compliant resource provisioning across the organization.
9. Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS): Automated notifications and alerts kept stakeholders informed of potential security risks.
Results and Benefits
By implementing the AWS security solution, the bank achieved significant improvements in identity governance and security posture:
- 60% reduction in unauthorized access incidents through least privilege enforcement.
- 40% improvement in IAM policy compliance via automated governance controls.
- 70% reduction in standing privileges through automated privilege access management.
- Faster response to security threats, reducing incident resolution time from 5 hours to 30 minutes.
- Lower operational costs by eliminating manual identity management processes and leveraging AWS-native automation.
The solution not only enhanced the bank’s security posture but also ensured compliance with regulatory standards such as PCI-DSS and ISO 27001.
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 Client
The customer is a leading financial institution in Nigeria, providing banking services to millions of customers. Aspart of its cloud transformation journey, the bank sought to enhance itsidentity and access governance to align with compliance requirements and mitigate security risks associated with unauthorized access.
Challenges
The bank faced significant challenges in managing identity governance across its hybrid cloud environment. The lack of centralized access control led to security vulnerabilities, including excessive permissions and difficulty in enforcing least privilege access. Additionally, the absence of automated privilege access management (PAM) resulted inprolonged access to sensitive financial data, increasing the risk of insiderthreats.
If left unaddressed, these challenges could lead to regulatory non-compliance, data breaches, and increased operational costs associated with manual identity management processes. Thebank needed a robust solution to streamline identity governance, enforce compliance, and reduce security risks.
How Qucoon Helped
To secure access to critical banking resources, the journey began with enforcing strict identity governance. Employees and administrators authenticated through AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO), ensuring a centralized and secure entry point. Access was then controlled using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM),where fine-grained policies were implemented to enforce least privilegeprinciples. AWS Organizations and Service Control Policies (SCPs) extended governance across multiple accounts, ensuring uniform security controls.
Asusers interacted with AWS services, their access patterns were continuouslyanalyzed. AWS IAM Access Analyzer monitored permissions, identifying andrevoking excessive privileges. AWS Config enforced compliance policies,ensuring that security configurations remained intact. AWS Trusted Advisor provided insights into IAM best practices, recommending adjustments to optimizesecurity.
For privileged access, a just-in-time (JIT) approach was introduced. Instead ofstanding permissions, AWS Secrets Manager securely stored and rotated credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys. When administrators needed secure shell (SSH) or command-line access to resources, AWS Systems Manager Session Manager provided controlled, auditable sessions without exposing credentials.
Beyond access controls, real-time monitoring was established to detect potential threats. AWS CloudTrail logged all authentication attempts and access events,ensuring an auditable trail of activities. Amazon CloudWatch generated alertsfor unusual login attempts or unauthorized access patterns. AWS Security Hub consolidated findings from multiple security services, providing a unified view of the organization’s security posture. Amazon GuardDuty continuously analyzed logs to detect potential threats, helping security teams act swiftly.
Asusers interacted with databases and stored sensitive financial information,data encryption was enforced across all layers. AWS Key Management Service (KMS) ensured encryption for data at rest and in transit. Amazon RDS enforced encryption and backup retention policies, ensuring secure database operations. Amazon S3 stored audit logs with encryption enabled, protecting historical access data.
To further enhance compliance, AWS Audit Manager automated regulatory assessments,streamlining adherence to PCI-DSS and ISO 27001 standards. AWS Cloud Formation ensured that infrastructure was deployed securely, aligning with best practicesfrom the AWS Well-Architected Framework. AWS Service Catalog standardized security-compliant resource provisioning across the organization.
Throughout the journey, automated notifications and alerts kept stakeholders informed. Amazon SNS and Amazon SQS facilitated secure communication, ensuring thatsecurity teams received real-time updates on potential security risks. Continuous compliance monitoring ensured that security policies evolved alongside regulatory requirements, keeping the bank’s cloud environment secureand resilient.
Primary AWS Services Used:
1. AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Fine-grained policies were implemented to enforce least privilege principles, ensuring users only had access to necessary resources.
2. AWS Config: Continuous compliance monitoring ensured that security configurations remained intact and aligned with regulatory requirements.
3. AWS Secrets Manager: Privileged credentials were securely stored and rotated, eliminating long-lived access keys and reducing the risk of credential misuse.
4. AWS CloudTrail: All authentication attempts and access events were logged, providing an auditable trail for compliance and forensic investigations.
5. Amazon CloudWatch: Real-time monitoring of access patterns enabled the detection of unusual login attempts or unauthorized activities.
6. AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Encryption for data at rest and in transit was enforced, protecting sensitive financial information.
7. AWS CloudFormation: Infrastructure was deployed securely, aligning with AWS Well-Architected Framework best practices.
8. AWS Service Catalog: Standardized security-compliant resource provisioning across the organization.
9. Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS): Automated notifications and alerts kept stakeholders informed of potential security risks.
Results and Benefits
By implementing the AWS security solution, the bank achieved significant improvements in identity governance and security posture:
- 60% reduction in unauthorized access incidents through least privilege enforcement.
- 40% improvement in IAM policy compliance via automated governance controls.
- 70% reduction in standing privileges through automated privilege access management.
- Faster response to security threats, reducing incident resolution time from 5 hours to 30 minutes.
- Lower operational costs by eliminating manual identity management processes and leveraging AWS-native automation.
The solution not only enhanced the bank’s security posture but also ensured compliance with regulatory standards such as PCI-DSS and ISO 27001.
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 Client
The customer is a leading financial institution in Nigeria, providing banking services to millions of customers. Aspart of its cloud transformation journey, the bank sought to enhance itsidentity and access governance to align with compliance requirements and mitigate security risks associated with unauthorized access.
Challenges
The bank faced significant challenges in managing identity governance across its hybrid cloud environment. The lack of centralized access control led to security vulnerabilities, including excessive permissions and difficulty in enforcing least privilege access. Additionally, the absence of automated privilege access management (PAM) resulted inprolonged access to sensitive financial data, increasing the risk of insiderthreats.
If left unaddressed, these challenges could lead to regulatory non-compliance, data breaches, and increased operational costs associated with manual identity management processes. Thebank needed a robust solution to streamline identity governance, enforce compliance, and reduce security risks.
How Qucoon Helped
To secure access to critical banking resources, the journey began with enforcing strict identity governance. Employees and administrators authenticated through AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO), ensuring a centralized and secure entry point. Access was then controlled using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM),where fine-grained policies were implemented to enforce least privilegeprinciples. AWS Organizations and Service Control Policies (SCPs) extended governance across multiple accounts, ensuring uniform security controls.
Asusers interacted with AWS services, their access patterns were continuouslyanalyzed. AWS IAM Access Analyzer monitored permissions, identifying andrevoking excessive privileges. AWS Config enforced compliance policies,ensuring that security configurations remained intact. AWS Trusted Advisor provided insights into IAM best practices, recommending adjustments to optimizesecurity.
For privileged access, a just-in-time (JIT) approach was introduced. Instead ofstanding permissions, AWS Secrets Manager securely stored and rotated credentials, eliminating long-lived access keys. When administrators needed secure shell (SSH) or command-line access to resources, AWS Systems Manager Session Manager provided controlled, auditable sessions without exposing credentials.
Beyond access controls, real-time monitoring was established to detect potential threats. AWS CloudTrail logged all authentication attempts and access events,ensuring an auditable trail of activities. Amazon CloudWatch generated alertsfor unusual login attempts or unauthorized access patterns. AWS Security Hub consolidated findings from multiple security services, providing a unified view of the organization’s security posture. Amazon GuardDuty continuously analyzed logs to detect potential threats, helping security teams act swiftly.
Asusers interacted with databases and stored sensitive financial information,data encryption was enforced across all layers. AWS Key Management Service (KMS) ensured encryption for data at rest and in transit. Amazon RDS enforced encryption and backup retention policies, ensuring secure database operations. Amazon S3 stored audit logs with encryption enabled, protecting historical access data.
To further enhance compliance, AWS Audit Manager automated regulatory assessments,streamlining adherence to PCI-DSS and ISO 27001 standards. AWS Cloud Formation ensured that infrastructure was deployed securely, aligning with best practicesfrom the AWS Well-Architected Framework. AWS Service Catalog standardized security-compliant resource provisioning across the organization.
Throughout the journey, automated notifications and alerts kept stakeholders informed. Amazon SNS and Amazon SQS facilitated secure communication, ensuring thatsecurity teams received real-time updates on potential security risks. Continuous compliance monitoring ensured that security policies evolved alongside regulatory requirements, keeping the bank’s cloud environment secureand resilient.
Primary AWS Services Used:
1. AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): Fine-grained policies were implemented to enforce least privilege principles, ensuring users only had access to necessary resources.
2. AWS Config: Continuous compliance monitoring ensured that security configurations remained intact and aligned with regulatory requirements.
3. AWS Secrets Manager: Privileged credentials were securely stored and rotated, eliminating long-lived access keys and reducing the risk of credential misuse.
4. AWS CloudTrail: All authentication attempts and access events were logged, providing an auditable trail for compliance and forensic investigations.
5. Amazon CloudWatch: Real-time monitoring of access patterns enabled the detection of unusual login attempts or unauthorized activities.
6. AWS Key Management Service (KMS): Encryption for data at rest and in transit was enforced, protecting sensitive financial information.
7. AWS CloudFormation: Infrastructure was deployed securely, aligning with AWS Well-Architected Framework best practices.
8. AWS Service Catalog: Standardized security-compliant resource provisioning across the organization.
9. Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS): Automated notifications and alerts kept stakeholders informed of potential security risks.
Results and Benefits
By implementing the AWS security solution, the bank achieved significant improvements in identity governance and security posture:
- 60% reduction in unauthorized access incidents through least privilege enforcement.
- 40% improvement in IAM policy compliance via automated governance controls.
- 70% reduction in standing privileges through automated privilege access management.
- Faster response to security threats, reducing incident resolution time from 5 hours to 30 minutes.
- Lower operational costs by eliminating manual identity management processes and leveraging AWS-native automation.
The solution not only enhanced the bank’s security posture but also ensured compliance with regulatory standards such as PCI-DSS and ISO 27001.
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
