AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS Single Sign-On) is a centralized identity management service that plays a crucial role in workload migration and modernization strategies. During migration projects, organizations often need to manage access across multiple AWS accounts and applications efficie…AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS Single Sign-On) is a centralized identity management service that plays a crucial role in workload migration and modernization strategies. During migration projects, organizations often need to manage access across multiple AWS accounts and applications efficiently.
Key capabilities for migration scenarios include:
**Centralized Access Management**: IAM Identity Center provides a single point to manage workforce identities and their access to AWS accounts, enabling consistent permission management during complex migration phases where teams need access to both source and target environments.
**Multi-Account Access**: When migrating workloads to AWS Organizations with multiple accounts, IAM Identity Center simplifies granting appropriate access levels to migration teams across development, staging, and production accounts through permission sets.
**Identity Source Flexibility**: Organizations can connect existing identity providers like Microsoft Active Directory, Okta, or Azure AD. This allows teams to use familiar credentials during migration, reducing friction and maintaining security compliance.
**Permission Sets**: These are collections of IAM policies that define access levels. During migration, you can create specific permission sets for migration engineers, application owners, and security reviewers, ensuring least-privilege access throughout the process.
**Temporary Credentials**: IAM Identity Center provides short-lived credentials through the AWS access portal, enhancing security during migration activities when teams require elevated privileges.
**Application Integration**: Beyond AWS console access, IAM Identity Center supports SAML 2.0 applications, enabling unified access to both AWS resources and third-party tools used in migration workflows.
**Audit and Compliance**: All access events are logged to AWS CloudTrail, providing comprehensive audit trails essential for compliance requirements during migration projects.
For modernization efforts, IAM Identity Center supports the transition from legacy authentication systems to cloud-native identity management, enabling organizations to implement zero-trust security models while simplifying user experience across hybrid environments.
AWS IAM Identity Center for Migration
Why It Is Important
When organizations migrate to AWS or modernize their existing infrastructure, managing identities and access across multiple AWS accounts becomes a critical challenge. AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS Single Sign-On) provides a centralized solution for managing workforce identities, enabling seamless access to AWS accounts and applications. During migration, having a robust identity management strategy reduces security risks, simplifies user management, and accelerates the transition process.
What Is AWS IAM Identity Center?
AWS IAM Identity Center is a cloud-based identity service that enables organizations to centrally manage access to multiple AWS accounts and business applications. It provides:
- Single sign-on access to all assigned AWS accounts and applications - Centralized permission management using permission sets - Integration with existing identity providers such as Microsoft Active Directory, Okta, and Azure AD - Built-in identity store for organizations that need to create and manage users in AWS - Multi-account permissions through AWS Organizations integration
How It Works
Identity Sources: IAM Identity Center can connect to three types of identity sources: 1. IAM Identity Center directory - Create and manage users within the service 2. Active Directory - Connect to AWS Managed Microsoft AD or self-managed AD via AD Connector 3. External identity providers - Use SAML 2.0-based IdPs like Okta, Azure AD, or Ping Identity
Permission Sets: Permission sets are collections of IAM policies that define user access. When assigned to users or groups for specific AWS accounts, they create temporary credentials with the defined permissions.
AWS Organizations Integration: IAM Identity Center integrates with AWS Organizations to provide access management across all member accounts from a single management point.
Migration Considerations
When migrating to IAM Identity Center, consider:
- Consolidating existing IAM users into centralized identity management - Mapping existing permissions to permission sets - Federating existing corporate directories using SAML 2.0 or SCIM - Implementing SCIM for automatic user provisioning and deprovisioning - Planning the transition from account-level IAM users to centralized workforce identities
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on AWS IAM Identity Center for Migration
1. Recognize centralized access scenarios: When a question describes managing access across multiple AWS accounts for workforce users, IAM Identity Center is typically the answer.
2. Distinguish between IAM and IAM Identity Center: IAM is for service-to-service access and application credentials. IAM Identity Center is for workforce identity management and human user access.
3. Know the identity source options: Questions may ask about connecting existing corporate directories. Remember that AD Connector works for self-managed Active Directory, while AWS Managed Microsoft AD provides full AD features.
4. Understand SCIM for provisioning: When questions mention automatic user synchronization from external IdPs, SCIM protocol is the enabling technology.
5. Permission sets vs IAM roles: Permission sets in IAM Identity Center create IAM roles in target accounts. This is how temporary credentials are generated.
6. AWS Organizations requirement: IAM Identity Center requires AWS Organizations. If a scenario does not use Organizations, IAM Identity Center cannot be the solution.
7. Look for keywords: Terms like single sign-on, centralized access management, workforce identities, and multi-account access point toward IAM Identity Center.
8. Migration from IAM users: When transitioning from per-account IAM users to a centralized model, IAM Identity Center with permission sets is the recommended approach.