In the midst of a business transformation, a Fortune 500 company renowned for its expertise in delivering cutting-edge cloud and infrastructure services had a requirement to upgrade to a modern access management platform. As the company embraced the cloud and transformed its business practices, the engineering tools and practices needed to be updated. At the heart of their organization, a large and skilled engineering team found themselves at a crossroads. They faced the pressing need to transition to a passwordless access system for their sprawling hybrid infrastructure, which spanned regionally distributed cloud and Data Centers (DCs).

“It was vital to make this transition without causing undue friction within our teams. We can’t afford to burden our dedicated professionals with the time-consuming task of learning a new terminal shell exclusively for remote access. Simplicity and ease of use were crucial to maintaining efficiency and productivity.” the Director of IT shared.
Director of IT

Navigating Complexity: Crafting a Seamless Passwordless Access Solution

Their hybrid infrastructure boasted a vast array of servers, making it abundantly clear that the chosen solution had to be agentless. Managing and provisioning these machines needed to be straightforward and seamless, without agent installations and configuration complications. Furthermore, the company recognized the importance of resiliency within its regional clusters. Business continuity was non-negotiable, and they required a solution that could guarantee uninterrupted operations, even in the face of regional disruptions or challenges.

Adding to the complexity of their situation, the company's workforce was as diverse as it was talented. They supported a mix of Windows and MacOS users, each with their preferred terminal programs for connecting to machines. The solution they sought had to accommodate these varying user preferences seamlessly.

Undaunted by their task, the team embarked on the journey to modernize their access system. Their goal: to conquer these challenges and establish a groundbreaking standard for passwordless access across the organization.

Streamlining Access with Ubyon

When the search for an innovative access management solution began, the team explored various options, including Identity Access Management and traditional Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions. The team discovered that these solutions either required server-side agents, needed to be cloud-ready, required considerable effort to deploy, manage, and operate, were expensive, or a combination of these factors.

After an evaluation, the team decided to move forward with Ubyon. The decision to choose Ubyon as their access management solution was driven by a series of compelling reasons:

• Ubyon’s user-friendly approach that captured their attention. Unlike other solutions that would have required end-users to adapt to a new terminal shell, Ubyon ensured a seamless transition. No training was needed, and there was no disruption to the familiar terminal experience that users had grown accustomed to.
• The "Launchpad" browser interface offered an intuitive way for end-users to locate and access resources, whether machines, web applications, or databases. The ease of navigation simplified the user experience, reducing any potential frustration.
• Another major advantage was the elimination of the cumbersome onboarding and offboarding processes. Ubyon streamlined access management by integrating with identity federation and Single Sign-On (SSO) processes provided by the identity provider. This meant that user access was seamlessly synchronized, reducing administrative overhead.
• But perhaps the most significant transformation came with the move to passwordless access. Ubyon's automated credential management brought an end to the era of managing passwords and keys manually. The team was relieved of the burden of tracking access through labor-intensive processes, freeing up valuable time and resources.

“For the first time, we gained comprehensive visibility into all access activities. Ubyon provided detailed insights, allowing us to see session-level details with command interpretation at the click of a button.”, shared the Director of IT. With Ubyon, they weren't just managing access; they were in control, armed with the insights needed to ensure a secure and efficient access management system.

From Trial to a Successful Deployment

The successful implementation of the Ubyon solution was a noteworthy achievement, marked by careful planning and collaboration. The initial implementation phase spanned seven weeks, mainly due to the diversity of client machines and terminal programs. The flexibility of the solution allowed for easy extension to on-premises and multiple cloud environments, addressing passwordless needs and meeting security and compliance standards. Despite these complexities, the teams remained determined to overcome challenges. “Crucial to the success of the deployment was the close partnership with the Ubyon team. They worked diligently to address all requirements, ensuring a smooth implementation process.”, shared the Director of IT.

The real triumph was witnessed among the engineers who embraced the Ubyon solution. It liberated them from the burdensome task of managing passwords and private keys, offering a seamless way to connect to their infrastructure from anywhere. In the end, this implementation was a testament to teamwork and innovation in the face of complexity, resulting in a more efficient, secure, and user-friendly access management system.