AWS Identity and Access Management vs Fortinet FortiAuthenticator comparison

AWS Identity and Access Management offers comprehensive security controls like role-based access, MFA, and password management. It streamlines user permissions and integration with AWS services, focusing on efficiency and security with features such as flexible access options and global usability.

Organizations rely on AWS Identity and Access Management to manage secure authentication and authorize access across AWS services. This service supports cross-account scenarios and corporate directory integration, providing a secure, scalable, and efficient platform. Despite its strengths, improvements could be made with a graphical interface for permission management, better workload handling, and enhanced documentation. It offers robust policy-based controls and adapts to global usage without frequent updates.

What are the key features of AWS Identity and Access Management?

• Role-Based Access Control: Define permissions based on roles to ensure secure access.
• Multifactor Authentication (MFA): Enhance security with an additional authentication layer.
• Password Controls: Manage passwords effectively to secure user accounts.
• Integration with AWS Services: Seamlessly connect with EC2, S3, Lambda, and more.
• Monitoring and Logging: Conduct comprehensive user activity monitoring and logging.
• Cross-Account Access: Support and manage permissions across different AWS accounts.

What benefits should be considered when evaluating AWS Identity and Access Management?

• Security and Efficiency: Protect resources while maintaining operational efficiency.
• Scalability: Easily scale permission management as organizations grow.
• Flexibility: Use temporary access options to adapt to changing needs.
• Cost Optimization: Benefit from enhanced security policies and template options.

Industries implement AWS Identity and Access Management to manage user permissions and access policies across AWS services, focusing on secure authentication and authorization within teams. It is crucial for identity creation, role management, and policy controls in sectors like IT, healthcare, and finance, supporting diverse account structures for compliance and security.

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is the primary secure point of approved access into the Fortinet network, authorizing users, reviewing access permissions, and relaying the information to all Fortigate devices for comparison with identity-based protocols. Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is a top-ranked authorization and SSO solution.

Appropriate secure access is fundamental to every role in an enterprise ecosystem. It is an integral function of every organization to ensure that every access and privilege is secure and to mitigate any possible risk to an organization. Approved users should only have access to the necessary information when they need it, from the appropriate location(s) to safeguard an organization's security at all times.

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is available as an appliance, virtual machine, or in the cloud.

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator Methods

• FSSO: FortiAuthenticator Single sign-on user will easily identify users and assign role or group access based on preset identity-based protocols. FortiAuthenticator integrates well with third-party LDAP or active directories, is very flexible, and combines these methods to provide effective security.
  
  
• Active Directory Polling: Active directory access is securely identified by consistent polling of domain controllers. As users log in, username, IP address, and other details are logged into the database and can be shared across devices as directed by FortiAuthenticator protocols.
  
  
• FortiAuthenticator Portal and Widgets: If a user system does not support AP polling, or for other reasons it is not feasible, FortiAuthenticator offers a unique secure authentication portal. Users can be manually authenticated and, to diminish the effect of numerous logins, an intuitive set of widgets is available to integrate into an organization's ecosystem that will automatically grant access to users when they access the organization's intranet homepage.
  
  
• RADIUS Accounting Login: For organizations that use RADIUS authentication, RADIUS Accounting is available for user identification. This process will prompt user access information (IP and group, etc.) and eliminate the need for multiple levels of authentication.

Reviews from Real Users

Ernesto C., Presales Engineer at a comms service provider, shares,

”Key Features and Benefits

1. Two-factor/OTP Authentication with FortiToken: Enforce user-based policies. Fortitoken is available in soft and hard versions for flexible usage. Most Valuable in Mobile Phones App for OTP.
2. Integration with LDAP and AD: This solution integrates with existing enterprise systems and technologies from diverse vendors of user information management systems.
3. LPAD/AD/RADIUS/SYSLOG/KERBEROS/REST API/FSSO and Web Portals: There is flexible integration with these services.
4. It is usable in network, WAN, wireless, and VPN Scenarios.
5. The domain and guest-users support are good.”

Ibrahim M., Senior Network & Security Engineer at a tech services company, relates, "The initial setup is a valuable point on Fortinet products. Most of the time, putting the theory into practice on the devices is quite friendly and straightforward. As long as you can read English you can find your way around the solution and make it work. This is a high value point on Fortinet - the way everything is laid out in the web UI is user-friendly and quite straightforward. The UI is quite simple."