IAM Architecture Review: A Case Study

Engagement Dashboard

2,400

Total Employees

29%

No MFA Coverage

847

AWS Access Keys

$12.5K

Engagement Value

Engagement Timeline

WEEK 1

Discovery & Documentation

Stakeholder interviews (8-10) • Architecture documentation review • Directory services assessment • Current state mapping

WEEK 2

Deep Analysis

Authentication flow testing • Policy and configuration review • Cloud IAM deep-dive • Gap identification

WEEK 3

Synthesis & Presentation

Findings consolidation • Roadmap development • Executive presentation • Technical workshop

Critical Findings Preview

CRITICAL: 4 AWS root accounts have active access keys - immediate remediation required

HIGH: 3 separate identity systems from acquisitions never consolidated

HIGH: 14 users in Domain Admins group - should be maximum 4

MEDIUM: CyberArk deployed but utilization under 20% - significant license waste

What You'll Master in This Simulation

Discovery Phase

Conducting stakeholder interviews
Reading organizational dynamics
Gathering technical documentation
Identifying key pain points

Analysis Phase

Evaluating IAM architectures
Assessing cloud IAM posture
Identifying compliance gaps
Risk quantification methods

Synthesis Phase

Building strategic roadmaps
Vendor evaluation frameworks
Executive presentation skills
Technical workshop delivery

Client Profile: Nexus Financial Technologies

CLIENT PROFILE: NEXUS FINANCIALCompany: Nexus Financial Technologies, Inc. Industry: FinTech (B2B Payment Processing) Headquarters: Austin, Texas Employees: 2,400 (grew from 800 in 3 years via acquisition) Revenue: $340M annually Founded: 2015 KEY BUSINESS CONTEXT • Processes $12B in B2B payments annually • 3,200+ merchant clients • SOC 2 Type II certified (audit in 4 months) • PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant • Acquired "PayFlow Solutions" 18 months ago (600 employees) • Acquired "SecureTransact" 8 months ago (400 employees) WHY THEY HIRED US • New CISO started 3 months ago, inherited "identity chaos" • Failed internal audit finding: "Inadequate access governance" • 3 separate identity systems from acquisitions never consolidated • Board pressure after competitor breach made headlines • Want vendor-neutral assessment before $2M IAM platform investment

Pre-Engagement Intel (From Intake Questionnaire)

Current Identity Systems

System	Users	Origin
Okta (Primary IdP)	1,400	Original Nexus
Azure AD (Secondary)	600	PayFlow acquisition
Google Workspace	400	SecureTransact acquisition
On-prem AD (2 forests)	1,800	Legacy + PayFlow

Cloud Footprint

Provider	Accounts	Primary Use
AWS	340 accounts	Production workloads
Azure	12 subscriptions	PayFlow apps
GCP	8 projects	Data analytics

Budget & Authority

Approved IAM Budget (FY2026)

$2,000,000

Decision Maker

CISO + CFO Joint Approval

Implementation Timeline

12-18 months

Key Stakeholders

Mentor Note: Understanding stakeholder dynamics is CRITICAL. Watch for hidden agendas, political tensions, and who actually has decision-making power vs. who thinks they do.

Stakeholder Power/Interest Matrix

HIGH INTEREST KEEP SATISFIED MANAGE CLOSELY Jennifer (CISO) HIGH Marcus (IAM) POWER Sarah (Compl.) MONITOR KEEP INFORMED LOW Tom (Cloud) POWER David (Eng.) Lisa (HR) LOW INTEREST Legend: = Primary stakeholders (interview priority) = Secondary stakeholders (informational interviews)

Kickoff Meeting

Mentor Note: The kickoff sets the tone for the entire engagement. This is where you establish credibility, clarify scope, and identify potential landmines.

Meeting Agenda

Time	Topic	Lead
0:00 - 0:10	Introductions & Engagement Overview	You (Consultant)
0:10 - 0:25	Client's Vision & Pain Points	Jennifer Walsh (CISO)
0:25 - 0:40	Scope Confirmation & Success Criteria	Joint Discussion
0:40 - 0:55	Interview Schedule & Documentation Access	You (Consultant)
0:55 - 1:00	Next Steps & Action Items	You (Consultant)

Your Opening Presentation (Click to Expand)

SLIDE 1: Introduction

/* SPEAKER SCRIPT */

"Good morning everyone. I'm [Your Name] from Identity Bytes, and I want to 
start by thanking Jennifer for bringing us in on this important initiative.

Over the next three weeks, my role is simple: give you an unbiased, 
comprehensive view of your identity architecture - the good, the bad, 
and the fixable.

I'm not here to sell you anything. I'm here to help you make a $2 million 
decision with confidence."

/* KEY POINTS TO HIT */
✓ Establish independence (vendor-neutral)
✓ Acknowledge the investment magnitude
✓ Position yourself as a partner, not auditor

SLIDE 2: Engagement Scope

/* SPEAKER SCRIPT */

"Let me be clear about what we WILL and WON'T do in these three weeks.

WHAT WE WILL DO:
• Interview 8-10 key stakeholders
• Review your identity architecture across all systems
• Assess your cloud IAM posture in AWS, Azure, and GCP
• Identify gaps against SOC 2 and PCI-DSS requirements
• Provide a prioritized 12-month roadmap
• Deliver vendor comparison for your platform investment

WHAT WE WON'T DO:
• Penetration testing or vulnerability scanning
• Implementation work
• Vendor negotiation
• Detailed technical designs (that's Phase 2 if you want it)"

/* WATCH FOR */If anyone tries to expand scope, politely redirect
 Note any surprised faces - indicates misalignment

SLIDE 3: Success Criteria

/* SPEAKER SCRIPT */

"How will we know this engagement was successful? I propose three criteria:

1. CLARITY: You understand your current state with no ambiguity
   - Complete inventory of identity systems
   - Mapped authentication flows
   - Documented gaps and risks

2. CONFIDENCE: You can defend your platform decision to the board
   - Objective vendor comparison
   - Clear rationale for recommendations
   - Budget justification with ROI

3. ACTION: You have a realistic, sequenced roadmap
   - 90-day quick wins for SOC 2
   - 12-month transformation plan
   - Resource requirements defined

Does this align with your expectations, Jennifer?"

/* GET EXPLICIT AGREEMENT */Wait for verbal confirmation from CISO
 Note any hesitation or additions

Documentation Request List

Send this to Marcus (IAM Director) within 24 hours of kickoff:

Network/System Diagrams: Current identity architecture diagrams (if any exist)
User Counts: Current active user counts per identity system (Okta, Azure AD, Google)
Application Inventory: List of applications with SSO integration status
AD Documentation: Active Directory forest/domain structure documentation
Cloud IAM: AWS Organizations structure, Azure subscription hierarchy
Audit Reports: Last SOC 2 report and remediation tracker
PAM Configuration: CyberArk deployment documentation and vault structure
Policies: Identity and access management policies

Week 1: Discovery & Documentation

Daily Schedule

Day	Activities
Day 1	Kickoff meeting • Documentation request • Environment access setup
Day 2	CISO interview • IAM Director interview • Initial doc review
Day 3	Cloud Lead interview • Compliance Manager interview
Day 4	VP Engineering interview • HR Systems interview • AD walkthrough
Day 5	Documentation analysis • Current state mapping • Gap identification prep

Week 1 Deliverables

Complete all 6 stakeholder interviews
Document current state architecture diagram
Compile user population by identity system
List all applications and SSO status
Identify initial red flags for Week 2 deep-dive
Send mid-engagement status update to CISO

Discovered Current State Architecture

NEXUS FINANCIAL - CURRENT IDENTITY ARCHITECTURE (Post-Discovery) WORKDAY (HR Source) 2,400 users MANUAL SYNCOKTA AZURE AD GOOGLE WORKSPACE (Original) (PayFlow) (SecureTransact) 1,400 users 600 users 400 users 47 SAML apps 23 apps 12 appsAWS Salesforce Slack Azure DevOps BigQuery Gmail Looker 340 accts CRM ON-PREMISES LAYER AD FOREST #1 AD FOREST #2 CyberArk (nexus.local) (payflow.local) (PAM - underused) 1,200 users 600 users 156 accounts vaulted 14 Domain Admins 8 Domain Admins 20% utilization NO TRUST CRITICAL FINDINGS: • 3 separate IdPs with NO federation between them • Workday Identity sync is MANUAL (3-day onboarding delay) • 2 AD forests with NO trust relationship • CyberArk at 20% utilization - massive license waste • 22 Domain Admin accounts across forests (should be <8)

Stakeholder Interview Simulator

Mentor Note: Select a stakeholder below to practice conducting discovery interviews. Pay attention to what they say AND what they don't say.

Interview Best Practices

DO

Ask open-ended questions first
Listen for what's NOT being said
Follow up on emotional responses
Take verbatim notes on key quotes
Ask "what would you fix first?"
Probe for specific examples

DON'T

Lead with yes/no questions
Show judgment about current state
Promise specific outcomes
Share other stakeholders' opinions
Rush through to check boxes
Interrupt when they're venting

Week 2: Deep Analysis

Analysis Schedule

Day	Focus Area
Day 6	Authentication flow mapping • MFA coverage analysis
Day 7	AWS IAM deep-dive • Access key audit
Day 8	Azure AD analysis • Conditional Access review
Day 9	Active Directory security assessment
Day 10	CyberArk utilization review • PAM gap analysis

Technical Assessment Areas

MFA enrollment rates per identity system
AWS access key age and rotation compliance
Privileged account inventory (DA, AWS Admin)
Service account password age
CyberArk vault utilization metrics
SSO coverage across application portfolio

Technical Assessment Results

AWS IAM Analysis (340 Accounts)

Metric	Current	Target	Status
Root accounts with MFA	287/340	340/340	84%
Root accounts with access keys	4	0	CRITICAL
Total IAM access keys	847	—	AUDIT
Access keys > 90 days	312 (37%)	0	HIGH
Unused keys > 90 days	156 (18%)	0	HIGH
Users with AdministratorAccess	34	<10	CRITICAL

MFA Coverage Analysis

System	Total Users	MFA Enabled	Coverage
Okta (Original Nexus)	1,400	1,372	98%
Azure AD (PayFlow)	600	534	89%
Google Workspace (SecureTransact)	400	256	64%
TOTAL	2,400	2,162	71% (29% gap)

Week 3: Synthesis & Presentation

Final Week Schedule

Day	Activities
Day 11	Findings consolidation • Risk scoring
Day 12	Roadmap development • Budget estimation
Day 13	Vendor comparison • Recommendation drafting
Day 14	Executive presentation • Q&A prep
Day 15	Technical workshop • Final deliverables handoff

Final Deliverables

Executive Summary (2-page PDF)
Detailed Technical Report (30+ pages)
Current State Architecture Diagrams
Future State Architecture Recommendation
12-Month Prioritized Roadmap
Vendor Comparison Matrix
Executive Presentation Deck

Vendor Comparison: Identity Platform

OKTA

Identity-as-a-Service

92/100

Already deployed (1,400 users)
Best AWS SSO integration
Native Workday connector
Strong MFA options

ENTRA ID

Microsoft Identity

85/100

Bundled with M365
Best Azure integration
Conditional Access maturity
Migration complexity

PING

Enterprise Identity

78/100

Strong on-prem support
Complex deployment
Higher TCO
Not a fit for cloud-first

Consolidated Findings & Risk Matrix

Risk Register

ID	Finding	Risk	Business Impact
R1	4 AWS root accounts have active access keys	CRITICAL	Full environment compromise if keys leaked
R2	53 AWS root accounts missing MFA	CRITICAL	Account takeover via password spray/phishing
R3	29% of users (700+) have no MFA	HIGH	Credential-based attacks, SOC 2 finding
R4	22 Domain Admin accounts (target: 4)	HIGH	Excessive blast radius for compromise
R5	34 users with AWS AdministratorAccess	HIGH	Privilege creep, audit finding risk
R6	No automated provisioning from Workday	HIGH	3-day onboarding delay, orphaned accounts
R7	CyberArk at 20% utilization	MEDIUM	$200K+ annual license waste
R8	No Conditional Access / device trust	MEDIUM	No context-aware security controls
R9	PayFlow using SMS-only MFA	MEDIUM	SIM swap vulnerability for 600 users

Risk Heat Map (Likelihood vs Impact)

IMPACT LOW MEDIUM HIGH CRITICAL R1CRITICAL R7 R2 (Certain) R8 R3HIGH R9 R4 (Likely) R5MEDIUM R6 (Possible) LOW (Unlikely) LIKELIHOOD CRITICAL: Immediate action (R1, R2) HIGH: Address within 30 days (R3, R4, R5, R6) MEDIUM: Address within 90 days (R7, R8, R9)

12-Month IAM Transformation Roadmap

PHASE 1 Emergency Stabilization (Months 1-3) - Budget: $150,000

Goal: Address critical audit risks before SOC 2 audit in 4 months

Month 1: Critical Remediation

Delete 4 AWS root account access keys
Enable MFA on 53 AWS root accounts
Disable 156 unused access keys (>90 days)
Force MFA enrollment for SecureTransact (Google Workspace)

Month 2: Privilege Reduction

Reduce Domain Admins from 22 to 4
Reduce AWS AdministratorAccess from 34 to 10
Implement Okta Verify number matching

Month 3: Access Review

Complete privileged access certification
Document emergency access procedures
SOC 2 audit preparation

PHASE 2 Identity Consolidation (Months 4-6) - Budget: $400,000

Goal: Consolidate to single identity platform (Okta expansion)

Month 4: Foundation

Deploy Okta Workforce Identity to PayFlow users (600)
Migrate SecureTransact to Okta (400 users)
Establish Okta as single IdP

Month 5: HR Integration

Implement Workday Okta provisioning connector
Configure automated user lifecycle
Define joiner/mover/leaver workflows

Month 6: AWS Integration

Deploy AWS IAM Identity Center with Okta SCIM
Migrate from per-account IAM users to SSO
Implement permission sets aligned to roles

PHASE 3 PAM Optimization (Months 7-9) - Budget: $300,000

Goal:Maximize CyberArk investment (20% 80% utilization)

Onboard all Windows privileged accounts to CyberArk
Implement session recording for production access
Deploy CyberArk Secrets Manager for applications
Integrate CyberArk with Okta for JIT elevation
Implement Privileged Access Workstations (PAWs)

PHASE 4 Zero Trust Foundation (Months 10-12) - Budget: $350,000

Goal: Implement context-aware access controls

Deploy device trust with Okta Device Trust + MDM integration
Implement risk-based authentication policies
Configure Conditional Access for sensitive applications
Deploy Continuous Access Evaluation
Implement network segmentation for identity tier

Budget Summary

Phase	Timeline	Budget	Primary Focus
Phase 1	Months 1-3	$150,000	Critical remediation, SOC 2 prep
Phase 2	Months 4-6	$400,000	Identity consolidation, HR integration
Phase 3	Months 7-9	$300,000	PAM optimization, secrets management
Phase 4	Months 10-12	$350,000	Zero Trust, device trust
TOTAL	12 Months	$1,200,000	Under $2M budget approval

Final Deliverables Package

Engagement Complete! Below are all deliverables you would provide to the client at the end of a real $12,500 IAM Architecture Review engagement.

Executive Documents

Executive Summary (2 pages)

One-page situation overview plus one-page recommendation summary. Board-ready format with financial impact quantification.

Current state summary
3 critical findings highlighted
12-month roadmap at a glance
$1.2M investment request justification

Presentation Deck (25 slides)

Executive presentation with speaker notes. Designed for 45-minute board presentation with 15-minute Q&A.

Technical Documents

Technical Assessment Report (35 pages)

Comprehensive technical findings with evidence, screenshots, and remediation guidance.

Current state architecture diagrams
Authentication flow analysis
Cloud IAM assessment (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Active Directory security review
PAM utilization analysis
Compliance gap matrix (SOC 2, PCI)

Vendor Comparison Matrix

Objective comparison of Okta vs Microsoft Entra ID vs Ping Identity with scoring methodology and TCO analysis.

Skills You've Practiced in This Simulation

Discovery Skills

Stakeholder interview techniques
Organizational dynamics reading
Documentation request processes
Current state mapping

Analysis Skills

AWS IAM security assessment
MFA coverage analysis
Privileged access review
Compliance gap identification

Synthesis Skills

Risk quantification
Roadmap development
Vendor evaluation
Executive communication

Technical Interview Questions (Based on This Engagement)

Q1: How would you approach consolidating 3 identity systems post-acquisition?

Strong Answer Framework:

Inventory all systems and user populations
Identify the "winner" IdP based on capabilities and existing investment
Establish federation first (don't force immediate migration)
Migrate users in waves, starting with least critical
Maintain rollback capability throughout

Q2: What's your approach to reducing Domain Admin accounts?

Strong Answer Framework:

Audit current DA usage with tools like Bloodhound
Identify actual needs vs. convenience access
Implement tiered admin model (Tier 0/1/2)
Deploy PAM for just-in-time elevation
Create dedicated admin accounts (no daily driver accounts in DA)

Q3: How do you handle stakeholder resistance during IAM assessments?

Strong Answer Framework:

Understand their concerns before pushing back
Quantify risk in business terms they care about
Propose solutions that address their pain points
Build alliances with stakeholders who will benefit
Escalate to executive sponsor if necessary (last resort)