SAML and SCIM: Key Tech for Automated IAM Provisioning in SSO

Introduction to Identity Management

In today’s digital landscape, identity management is at the heart of organizational security and efficiency. As businesses rely on a growing number of applications and services, managing user identities and access across different systems becomes increasingly complex. Effective identity management ensures that only authorized users can gain access to sensitive data and resources, protecting the integrity and confidentiality of business operations.

Protocols like SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) and SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) are foundational to modern identity management strategies. SCIM streamlines the management of user identities and access across different applications, automating the process of updating user information as roles change. Meanwhile, SAML provides a secure way to exchange authentication and authorization data, enabling seamless access across multiple systems. By leveraging these protocols, organizations can manage user identities and access across different domains, reduce security risks, and simplify user data management. In this article, we’ll explore the key differences between SCIM and SAML, their primary use cases, and how they can be implemented to strengthen your identity management processes.

Struggling to manage users across dozens of SaaS tools? This guide breaks down SCIM, SAML, and SSO-what they are, how they work together, and how to avoid the high costs of traditional IAM solutions.

It’s crucial to understand some essential concepts related to IAM, like SSO, SCIM, and SAML, before delving deeper into setting up a system that works for your company. Here’s an overview of the three technologies:

Single Sign-On (SSO) is a user authentication service that allows users to use one set of login credentials to access multiple applications, eliminating the need to remember multiple passwords and reducing the risk of password theft.

System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) is a protocol for the automated provisioning and deprovisioning of user identities across different systems and applications. This can save organizations time and resources by eliminating the need for them to manually manage user identities and accesses in each system. By automatically changing a user’s profiles and privileges to reflect status changes, SCIM ensures data is protected and least privilege access is enforced. For example, an employee leaves a company which triggers an off-boarding so SCIM is used to auto-deprovision the user so they no longer have rights to access apps and data. SCIM is also important for the overall access governance. SCIM is used to automate user provisioning and access provisioning, streamlining onboarding and offboarding by automatically creating, updating, and deleting user accounts across integrated systems.

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an XML-based standard allowing for authentication and authorization data to be exchanged between different systems. SAML focuses on authentication, especially for SSO scenarios, by verifying user identity and enabling secure access. SAML allows access to an application only if the user correctly authenticates themselves. This can be used to implement SSO, as well as other security features like multi-factor authentication.

Let’s dive in a bit deeper into each of them and also how they compare to one another.

SCIM vs SAML

When considering saml vs scim, it's important to understand that both SCIM (System for Cross-domain Identity Management) and SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) are useful protocols in the identity management ecosystem. SCIM and SAML share the common goals of streamlining the management of user access and privileges, while both contribute to enhanced security by centralizing user verification and access control. However, the protocols differ in their applications. SCIM is primarily focused on managing and governing user identity information across different systems, whereas SAML is designed to facilitate authentication and single sign-on (SSO) across various domains. They serve different purposes within identity and access management: SAML handles authentication and SSO, while SCIM automates user provisioning, deprovisioning, and identity synchronization. Together, they create a secure and efficient online identity management system that enforces least privileged access rights.

Are there synergies between SCIM and SAML?

SCIM and SAML can be used as complementary protocols to achieve holistic identity and access management: SAML will authenticate users via SAML, enabling secure single sign-on and seamless access to multiple applications, while SCIM will provision and deprovision users and licences. They work together to complement each other in an identity and access management system. Whereas SAML authenticates users by having the service provider receive and validate authentication assertions from the identity provider, SCIM ensures that those users are current employees and that their privileges properly reflect their roles and departments.

What is user provisioning and deprovisioning?

User accounts within a system can be created, updated, and deleted. This process is known as provisioning. When provisioning events happen, they must be synced across multiple applications and systems. For example, the HR system will let the IAM know when and in which team the new user will join, which impacts the setup of the user profile. Often, account provisioning impacts user groups and group memberships. By automating provisioning and deprovisioning, organizations can effectively manage user accounts and manage user lifecycles, ensuring that user access is accurate, secure, and up-to-date throughout the entire employment period. The goal is to have a provisioning process that is automated, but provisioning may also be performed manually. Manual provisioning can be seen in smaller companies or where on- and off-boardings are not very numerous. Ideally, provisioning and deprovisioning gets automated to ensure employee authentication and privileges are quickly and accurately reflected in the workplace.

Benefits of automated provisioning and deprovisioning:

• Employee onboarding and offboarding: quickly assign or revoke user accounts and access rights based on roles.
• User management across applications and services: automated provisioning streamlines user management.
• Security: automation of provisioning ensures that least privilege access is enforced and eliminates zombie accounts by offboarding departing employees.
• Compliance: For certifications like ISO 27001 or SOC 2 it helps to have an automated process that also simplifies later access reviews.

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Single Sign On (SSO) Benefits

Single Sign-On (SSO) is a game-changer for both users and IT teams. By allowing users to access multiple applications with a single set of credentials, SSO eliminates the hassle of remembering and managing multiple passwords. This not only streamlines the login process but also significantly enhances the user experience, making it easier for employees to access the tools they need to be productive.

From a security perspective, SSO reduces the risk of password fatigue and the likelihood of weak or reused passwords, which are common targets for cyberattacks. Using SAML for SSO, organizations can ensure that users authenticate once and then gain access to multiple applications with a single, secure login. This approach not only simplifies user access across various platforms but also reduces administrative overhead by centralizing authentication. Ultimately, SSO empowers organizations to provide secure, efficient access to multiple applications, improving both security and user satisfaction.

Using SCIM and SAML together

Companies that need to ensure that access control is enforced and least privileged access rights are applied may want to implement both SCIM and SAML. However, a smaller organization may choose to initially implement SAML SSO to optimize productivity and secure access.

SAML, however, often requires manually managing user permissions and offboarding/deleting user accounts as employees leave or move to different departments. Later, the addition of SCIM provisioning provides full automation and visibility of everyone's access and permissions.

Some challenges of SCIM and SAML

SSO Disadvantages:

• Price:  The so-called SSO task forced on by vendors who often charge more for SSO capabilities, burdening smaller organizations.
• Complex Implementation: Setting up SSO can be complex and require specialized knowledge.

SAML Disadvantages:

• Complexity: SAML can be complex to implement and optimize, requiring specialized knowledge.
• Compatibility Issues: SAML is not compatible with all services or applications.
• Mobile Limitations: SAML was not designed for mobile apps, which can lead to implementation challenges.
• Single Log-Out (SLO) Complexity: Implementing SLO with SAML can be complex and may not always work reliably.

SCIM Disadvantages:

• SCIM Tax: SCIM capabilities are often only available in higher-tier, more expensive versions of identity management tools.
• Dependency on SSO: SCIM often requires SSO to function, adding to the implementation complexity and cost.

Overall, provisioning via SCIM and SSO comes often with a more than significant price tag and difficult implementation. With tools like Okta, the cost per user might end up between 15€ and 18€ per month and additional costs to pay thousands of Euros to pay to the vendors to get the tier for the SSO. The search for alternatives to Okta quickly becomes a priority when mid-size companies start paying high five-digit sums for their IAM system (read further to see what IAM tool might be a better solution than Okta).

Use Cases for Identity Management

Identity management plays a vital role in a wide range of business scenarios, from onboarding new employees to managing ongoing access and ensuring secure offboarding. Automating user provisioning and deprovisioning with SCIM allows organizations to efficiently create, update, and remove user accounts across different systems and applications. For example, when a new team member joins, SCIM can automatically provision their user account and assign the appropriate permissions, ensuring they have immediate access to the necessary applications and services.

SAML, on the other hand, excels at authentication and authorization, verifying user identities and granting secure access to resources. Together, SCIM and SAML enable organizations to automate user management tasks, streamline access management, and maintain tight control over who can access what. Whether it’s granting access to cloud-based applications, managing user permissions across different departments, or ensuring timely deprovisioning when employees leave, effective identity management is essential for maintaining security and operational efficiency across different systems.

Alternative to SCIM Provisioning

Especially small and mid-size organisation with only a few hundreds users are often seen to struggle using SCIM and SAML in an efficient manner. Alternatives like Okta deliver this service but with a significant price tag and complex implementation. Corma is an alternative to SCIM implementation for user account provisioning and deprovisioning with its SaaS Management PlatformCorma automatically provisions users for several hundred applications and connects with Identity Providers like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Okta.

Corma can handle access requests and approvals for SaaS apps via Slack. With a custom workflow builder it is easy to set up a system for custom approval flows based on users and apps. Corma does this by using APIs: SaaS apps can easily be added as needed.

offers a plug-and-play solution to non-enterprise organizations that use a wide variety of SaaS applications. It's also useful for larger enterprises that rely on SCIM, but struggle with large numbers of applications that don't support SCIM.

Access Management Best Practices

To maximize the effectiveness of access management, organizations should adopt a set of best practices that leverage the strengths of SCIM and SAML. Implementing a centralized identity provider (IdP) is a crucial first step, as it allows for unified control over user authentication and access rights. Automating user provisioning and deprovisioning with SCIM ensures that user accounts and permissions are always up to date, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and orphaned accounts.

Regularly monitoring user activity and maintaining detailed user logs can help detect suspicious behavior and enable rapid response to potential security incidents. It’s also important to ensure that your access management solutions are scalable and compatible with a wide range of applications and services, supporting the needs of a growing and evolving organization. By following these best practices—centralizing identity management, automating user provisioning, and maintaining vigilant oversight—organizations can enhance security, streamline user management, and ensure compliance with industry standards.

Q&A

Q:What is the difference between SCIM and SAML?

A:SCIM automates user provisioning, while SAML handles SSO authentication. SCIM manages user roles and access; SAML confirms identity for secure login.

Q: What are the pros and cons of SAML SSO?

A:SAML SSO improves security and login efficiency, but can be costly, complex, and lacks full mobile compatibility. It often needs expert setup.

Q:How can SMBs avoid high SCIM implementation costs?

A:Use SCIM alternatives like Corma that connect to Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and support Slack-based access requests via API integrations.

Conclusion and Future Trends

In summary, SCIM and SAML are indispensable protocols for robust identity and access management. SCIM automates user provisioning and deprovisioning, while SAML focuses on secure authentication and authorization. By understanding the unique roles of SCIM and SAML, organizations can design identity management strategies that not only improve security and compliance but also enhance the user experience and reduce administrative burdens.

Looking ahead, the future of identity management will be shaped by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain. These innovations promise to further automate and secure identity management processes, making it easier to manage user access across an ever-expanding array of applications and services. By staying informed about these trends and continuously refining their identity and access management practices, organizations can ensure their systems remain secure, scalable, and ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s digital landscape.

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