1. Planning.

• Assessment
  Begin by identifying who requires access to Copper, the resources they need, and the reasons for access. Document existing access rights and determine if they can be minimized or eliminated. An entitlement discovery tool can help improve visibility.
• Policy creation
  Devise clear policies for both bestowing and withdrawing access. Include guidelines about who can request access, under what circumstances, and for what duration. Especially for privileged roles, establish time-bound parameters.
• Source of truth
  Synchronize your JIT access system with an Identity Provider (e.g., Okta, Google Workspace, Azure AD, OneLogin). This will serve as the authoritative source for identities. De/escalating individual identities over shared accounts will facilitate better control of authorization and improve audit accuracy.

2. Execution.

• Self-serve access requests
  Streamline the process by having users request access through the system, not people. Enhance adoption rates by integrating with IM platforms like Slack or MS Teams. Make sure requests detail who's asking, the service/resource/role required, duration, and reason.

• Approval process
  JIT access provides an opportunity for organizations to delegate approvals to individuals with business context. Resource owners and business unit managers often have better context than IT helpdesks. Use messaging platforms for swift responses, providing approvers all necessary information for an informed decision.

• Conditional approval workflows
  Embed your predefined policies into workflows that govern access permissions. Assign if-then conditions to outline who can access what, and under what conditions. IF identity group “X” requests access to “Y” resource, seek approval from “Z” and notify “M”.

• Integrations
  Consider assimilating JITA with other IT and security systems for enhanced flexibility; integrate with IT ticketing systems for access automation based on ticket status. Tie in with data classification systems to recalibrate policies based on data sensitivity.
• Automated provisioning and deprovisioning
  Gain a good understanding of Copper to effectively grant and revoke finely-grained access automatically within the service. This is crucial for JIT Access because it minimizes dependency on people's availability. It allows for automatic deprovisioning of access, which is central to JIT access and the principle of least privilege access (POLP). Ideally, you would manage all permissions centrally, rather than building or managing an environment for every application in your organization.
• Access methods
  For Copper JIT Access, APIs are advisable due to their flexibility and real-time capabilities. However, blending methods may be necessary. For instance, using SAML for authentication, SCIM for user provisioning, and APIs for specific access control decisions.

3. Maintenance.

• Regular audits
  Regularly check access logs to ensure that JIT access is functioning as anticipated. Search for any unusual patterns or behaviors either directly or by feeding the logs into your SIEM.
• User training
  Familiarize users, especially privileged ones, with the concept of least privilege, JIT Access, and its operation. Ensure users know how to request access when needed.
• Feedback loop
  Consistently review your JIT access procedures. Obtain feedback from users and IT staff for understanding possible improvements.

By adopting this structured approach, you can efficiently implement a robust Just-in-Time Access system for Copper.