Several digital-driven organizations focus on designing and deploying robust identity and access management (IAM) systems within their digital infrastructure. Identity access management systems enable organizations to regulate user access to data assets/applications and protect digital identities. Overall, IAM systems ensure that only authorized users have access to crucial business resources. However, to develop and launch robust IAM systems, businesses should consider selecting the right technology stack. Businesses prioritizing the security of digital identities, applications, and data assets should embrace decentralized ledger technologies like Blockchain for IAM development.
IAM systems built using conventional technologies store and manage digital identity data in centralized databases and storage resources. Such resources are largely vulnerable to external threats and malicious attacks. In contrast, IAM solutions built using Blockchain technology store identity and access control data in decentralized networks, thereby reducing the risks associated with breaches and cyber threats. Hyperledger is one of the robust Blockchain-based distributed ledger platforms that facilitate enterprise-grade IAM systems development.
Hyperledger for Identity and Access Management Development
Hyperledger Blockchain network offers a permissioned architecture for prototyping, developing, testing, and deploying robust identity and access management solutions. IAM solutions built using this network enable users to authenticate and access applications/data through cryptographic proofs instead of passwords, minimizing identity theft risks. Besides, the Hyperledger platform facilitates the chaincode (smart contract) programming. By encoding smart contract conditions within the IAM solutions, key flows like identity verification and policy execution can be easily automated.
Organizations seeking ways to effectively leverage the Hyperledger platform and design feature-rich IAM solutions should consider hiring skilled developers from a Hyperledger development firm. These developers are skilled in custom IAM system development and chaincode programming. Besides, they also utilize a combination of Hyperledger-based frameworks like Indy, Fabric, and Sawtooth for IAM development.
Some other benefits of hiring dedicated Hyperledger developers for IAM development include:
- Cost-Effective Development – When organizations opt for in-house IAM development using Hyperledger, they need to make a significant investment in terms of infrastructure, tool licensing, and training support. This approach leads to higher development and operational expenses. In contrast, by hiring dedicated Hyperledger developers, businesses can minimize huge investments and accelerate the development and deployment of fully functional IAM solutions.
- Security Implementation – Hyperledger developers build IAM solutions by incorporating cryptographic mechanisms like zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), valuable credentials, and decentralized identifiers. These mechanisms offer greater immutability and security to IAM solutions, reducing the risk of cyber-attacks and breaches.
- Greater Compliance – Dedicated Hyperledger developers build Blockchain-based IAM solutions that adhere to FDPR, HIPAA, NIST, and SOC2 regulations. This is crucial for ensuring greater access control and data protection compliance.
Key Functionalities Implemented in Hyperledger-Based IAM Solutions
As stated before, by hiring dedicated Hyperledger developers, organizations can build and launch IAM solutions with advanced features, such as:
1. Self-Sovereign Identity Architecture Implementation
Hyperledger developers design and implement a self-sovereign architecture for identity and access management solutions. The self-sovereign architecture, designed by Hyperledger developers consists of a decentralized identifier module, a verifiable credential module, and the wallet. Developers configure the decentralized identifier module to host applications or store data assets in the Hyperledger network and generate unique identifiers. The verifiable credential module is programmed to capture user registration details and generate exclusive credentials for users. Consequently, developers set up the wallet to store app/data identifiers and user credentials in a secure environment.
Hyperledger developers incorporate encryption mechanisms within the wallet to minimize the tamper-proofing and mismanagement of user credentials/identifiers. The self-sovereign architecture designed by the developers helps organizations simplify the IAM system onboarding process and facilitate secure identity verification and user authentication.
2. Smart Contract-Based Access Control
Traditional IAM solutions depend on multiple rule-based models for regulating the access management cycle. Though these models are easily configurable, they are prone to security breaches and manipulations. Hence, developers from a trustworthy Hyperledger application development company build IAM solutions by incorporating chaincode (smart contract)-based access control packages. Developers program and embed multiple chaincode packages within the IAM solutions. Each package consists of access policies, scripts, and conditions encoded to automate key workflows within IAM systems.
For instance, the user registration chain code package implemented in IAM systems automates the process of verifying user identities and assigning cryptographic keys. Similarly, the access request chain code package automates the process of identity and permission verification when users request access to resources like applications or data assets. These packages eliminate manual access management practices and discrepancies by automatically enforcing robust access policies.
3. Immutable Audit Trail Tools
Another key functionality that Hyperledger developers prioritize implementing in identity and access management solutions is audit trail tools. Developers effectively leverage the pre-built audit trail tools offered by the Hyperledger ecosystem, such as Fabric Logging and Auditing, Explorer, or Caliper. By configuring and implementing these tools within IAM solutions, Hyperledger developers ensure that all the access verification and authentication requests are recorded and logged in a decentralized ledger. The audit logs in the decentralized ledger are transparent and difficult to alter or delete, as they are cryptographically encoded. In other words, the ledger records every IAM event in an immutable format, eliminating third-party users or malicious actors from modifying logs and information.
Hyperledger developers provide training sessions on hash validation techniques to in-house security administrators or teams in organizations. This enables the security experts to decrypt the audit logs and verify their IAM solution’s integrity and compliance with regulatory standards. Moreover, hash validation techniques enable administrators to identify malicious events within identity management solutions at the earliest and prevent major cyber-attack incidents.
Closing Thoughts
In essence, the Hyperledger Blockchain network facilitates the creation of enterprise-grade identity and access management solutions. However, organizations should consider hiring developers from a recognized Hyperledger Blockchain development firm to leverage the platform and build feature-rich IAM solutions. Dedicated developers assess the organization’s requirements and create tailored access management solutions. In addition to custom development, Hyperledger developers offer continuous maintenance support to IAM solutions. By consistently updating security protocols, cryptography, and patch mechanisms, developers ensure the robust performance of access management solutions in the long term.
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