A simple step-by-step explanation (with examples) on how to implement a Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) model in Active Directory, starting with an initial assessment of the organization's needs and then setup of the RBAC. The guide includes the steps of defining roles and permissions, creating groups and assigning roles, configuring access control policies, testing and monitoring the model, and regularly reviewing and updating the RBAC system. Everything needed to start with Identity Access Management.
Before implementing a Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) model in Active Directory, it is crucial to evaluate several factors to determine if RBAC is the right solution to run the Identity Access Management for your organization. This preliminary step involves assessing your current access control needs, understanding the complexity of your organizational structure, evaluating compliance requirements, and identifying potential benefits and challenges.
The first step in implementing a Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) model in Active Directory is to define the roles and permissions for your users. A role is a set of permissions that enable a user to perform specific tasks or access certain resources. For instance, you might create a role for sales managers, who need to view and edit customer information, generate reports, and approve orders. Permissions are specific rights that allow a user to perform an action or access a resource, such as reading, writing, or deleting a file, or running a program. You can utilize the Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC) tool or the Active Directory Administrative Center (ADAC) to establish and manage these roles and permissions.
Example: Establish a "Sales Manager" role with permissions for reading and writing customer data, generating sales reports, and approving orders. This role is crucial for the operational efficiency of the sales team and you will probably have quite a few sales managers coming and going over time so it makes sense to have this standard role clearly defined.
The second step in the RBAC implementation process in Active Directory involves creating groups and assigning roles to them. A group is a collection of users with similar access needs or responsibilities. For example, you could create a group for sales managers and assign the previously defined role to this group. This approach simplifies access rights management, as roles are assigned to groups instead of individual users. The ADUC or ADAC tools can be used to create and manage these groups and role assignments.
Example: Form a group called "Sales Manager Team" and assign the "Sales Manager" role to it. All members of this group will automatically inherit the permissions defined for the role, ensuring uniform access rights for all sales managers. This is a solution that is easy to scale and maintain on a daily level once properly set up.
The third step in setting up a RBAC model in Active Directory is to configure access control policies that enforce the roles and permissions you have defined. An access control policy specifies who can access which resources and under what conditions. For instance, you can create a policy that allows only sales managers to access the sales database, and only during business hours.
Example: Set up an access control policy that restricts access to the sales database to members of the "Sales Managers" group, and only permits access during business hours, thereby safeguarding data and maintaining operational effectiveness. Typically you might need to go to several places for it. Imagine you are a Google Company using Hubspot. You would set-up the SSO for the User Group "Sales Managers" and afterwards configure the users with the correct permissions inside your CRM tool. Luckily, you will usually find pre-defined roles that make this process very easy.
The fourth step in the implementation of a RBAC model in Active Directory is to test and monitor the system you have established. Testing and monitoring are critical to ensure the RBAC model functions as intended, meets the security and compliance requirements of your organization, and does not cause any performance or functionality issues. The Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) tool or the Active Directory Audit Policy (ADAP) tool can be used to test and monitor the RBAC model. The better you stress test the model, the lower the chance of a breach will be.
Example: Conduct a series of tests where users in the "Sales Managers" group attempt to access the sales database both during and outside business hours to verify the correct enforcement of access control policies. Set up monitoring tools to detect any unauthorized access attempts and alert the administrative team. Usually you will find IAM automations to make this easy for you.
Best Practice: The main cause for issues in this step is when people have different user roles assigned to them. Cross-functional teams are standard today but someone being in the User Group "Sales Manager" as well as "Customer Ops Manager" can lead to an overlap of permissions that go beyond the intial accesses that were supposed to be granted. If you try to identify why the test failed, start with checking if other user roles were assigned.
The fifth step in implementing a RBAC model in Active Directory is to periodically review and update the RBAC model to keep your Identity Access Management up to date. Regular reviews and updates are necessary to ensure the RBAC model remains aligned with the evolving needs and objectives of your organization, as well as with the changing threat landscape. You can use the ADUC tool, ADAC tool, ADSE tool, or ADRMS tool to review and update the RBAC model as needed.
Example: After a reorganization within the company, review and update the RBAC model to reflect the new structure and roles. If you for exapmple set up a new team or a new office at a new location, you might need to review the roles you have defined before. This ensures all users have the appropriate access rights according to their new responsibilities.
Best Practice: You do not need to review your RBAC model every month. In most companies it is sufficient to check if the model is still doing its job every 6 months. If there is little organisational change and stability in the team, even a yearly review would usually be sufficient.
Corma's mission is to make identity access management smart and simple. We want to leverage the benefits of the Active Directory while reducing the complexities of setting it up and running a Role-Based Access Control. If you would like what this looks like in real life, do not hesitate to reach: nikolai@corma.io
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