With digital applications now handling everything from simple logins to complex permissions, Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems have become indispensable. IAM systems provide a secure way to manage who can access what, especially in organizations where sensitive data and application access must be controlled. But while IAM systems improve security, they also introduce a new layer of complexity in monitoring application performance. Let’s dive into the unique challenges of monitoring applications that require identity management authentication and explore how synthetic monitoring can be a game-changer.
What is Identity and Access Management (IAM)?
Issues Faced by Applications in IAM Systems
Single sign-on (SSO) is one of the most used and valuable feature of IAM. Many applications support this feature. It is the entry point to the application and if the IAM system fails or is down, application users will not be able to log in. These types of losses can make a huge impact on organization’s business, even if the IAM fails for a very small amount of time. Any delays signing in to the application, due to slow performance, impacts the application’s performance.
Performance problems can occur anywhere — from the browser on a user’s computer or mobile device, across the Internet or a corporate WAN, or across third-parties and cloud providers – even to the infrastructure running inside data centers. Slow response times can be caused by various factors, like network delays, DNS problems and application wait times. Knowing that your IAM system is up and running is very crucial for organizations. The main metrics to monitor for determining performance of IAM systems include the following:
Sign-in access, performance, and availability. The applications within IAM systems rely on SSO, identity, access, and permissions. The performance metrics for the APIs needs to be monitored to keep in check with the availability.
OAuth registration, token serving, refresh, and availability. Various applications require OAuth registration and authentication to operate as per required. It should be ensured that the tokens are being generated and refreshed as per the requirement of the users.
There are tools within the IAM systems that can provide you all the metrics and details about the performance of the IAM system, however, these tools take an inside-out approach and just monitor the IAM system for its performance. What about the performance of the applications that reside within these IAM systems? How can you be sure that they are functioning and available.
As an organization, it’s always good to check from your side to ensure that all things are working smoothly as intended and no business applications are impacted. However, it’s more critical to take and outside-in approach to ensure that your applications are running 24/7 and available from all of your locations, and possible from where your users are located. And if there are issues, you can proactively set alerts based on performance thresholds and fix them before more users are impacted. This is where the importance of a synthetic monitoring solution is beneficial.
How Synthetic Monitoring Can Solve Application Performance Issues
Synthetic monitoring simulates user interactions to test application performance from an end-user perspective. Unlike traditional monitoring, which only reacts to problems after they arise, synthetic monitoring takes a proactive approach by running predefined tests on your application at regular intervals. This approach is particularly useful for IAM-protected applications, where authentication and access control can introduce unexpected challenges.
Dotcom-Monitor offers a powerful synthetic monitoring solution that can help address these challenges by simulating real-user interactions with your IAM-enabled applications. Here’s how Dotcom-Monitor can help ensure your application performs smoothly:
Proactively Detect Authentication Issues: Dotcom-Monitor allows you to simulate the entire login flow, including redirects to external identity providers and multi-step verification processes. By testing each step, you can catch authentication issues before they impact real users.
Monitor Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Processes: MFA can add additional complexity to the login flow, and if it malfunctions, it may prevent users from logging in altogether. With synthetic monitoring, you can regularly test the MFA process to ensure it’s working as expected.
Track Token Expiration and Session Handling: By regularly simulating user sessions, Dotcom-Monitor can help identify problems with token expiration and session timeouts, reducing the likelihood of unexpected logouts or session interruptions for your users.
Continuous Monitoring of IAM Dependencies: Many IAM systems rely on external IdPs, making them vulnerable to third-party outages. Synthetic monitoring keeps an eye on these dependencies by simulating login requests, helping you detect if an external IdP is slow or unresponsive.
With Dotcom-Monitor’s synthetic monitoring, you gain complete visibility into your IAM authentication processes, ensuring a smooth experience for users and maintaining application reliability.
Conclusion
Monitoring applications that rely on identity management authentication can be challenging due to the complexity of IAM processes and the reliance on external identity providers. However, by employing a proactive approach with synthetic monitoring, you can detect issues before they reach your users, ensuring a smooth and secure experience.
Dotcom-Monitor offers the synthetic monitoring capabilities you need to simulate and test your IAM-enabled application from login to logout, helping you maintain reliability, security, and a user-friendly experience. Paired with web application, API, and user behavior monitoring, Dotcom-Monitor provides the tools you need to stay ahead of potential issues, making it an invaluable part of any comprehensive IAM monitoring strategy. Try the full platform for free.
