Central Bank of Kuwait implements Secure Identity Management Solution from Al-Faris Information Technologies to deliver e-Provisioning

The solution combines Novell® Net services software, and proven consulting services from Al-Faris® to solve access, security and identity provisioning challenges. With Al-Faris® Secure Identity Management, based on directory services and trusted identity provisioning processes, CBK will safeguard its access control investment by ensuring that user profiles are not compromised by external hackers, malicious insiders or careless employees.

This makes staff productive right from the start, reduces data errors throughout the CBK system, enhances resource security, and lowers the cost of administering the CBK's overall technology infrastructure.

The CBK faces the arduous task of managing numerous user identities and passwords across multiple systems, all in an environment with significant turnover of those individuals - the users - who most need access to the network's resources. Historically, the CBK deployed a manual process to create user IDs for key systems. The process, which was complex, labor intensive, time consuming and costly. The CBK wanted an identity management solution that would automate new account creation and updates and enable single sign-on for users across its existing banking systems and Intranet users.

Al-Faris® Meets the Challenge
The CBK turned to Al-Faris® and its global partners to implement the identity management solution, becoming in the process the nation's first regional Central Bank to adopt a purely Web-based environment. The initial phase of the project, focused on identity provisioning the synchronization of identity information in four key systems; The unique strengths of eDirectory make it the only directory service capable of managing user identities across both internal networks and the Internet.

Tapping Novell's proven eDirectory capabilities was a critical criterion for CBK. "Having experienced Novell's reliability, scalability and security, we selected eDirectory over any alternate solution," said Hana Razzouqi, Senior Manager for Information Technology. "We turned to Al-Faris® and its partner because we knew they could deliver the comprehensive identity management solution we were looking for."

The identity provisioning phase will make it easier to get new staff up and running quickly. For new hires, the system automatically and immediately creates an ID in HR system, Novell's DirXML® technology then triggers updates to generate a user account, and provides access to the network. Based on the staff's pre-defined policies and rules outlined in the System, they are also granted access to view the information in the back-end application. Ensuring that the CBK network resources are protected, the solution immediately revokes access across all systems when a staff's application is turned down or voluntarily withdrawn.

"Al-Faris® secure identity management solution illustrates the power of directories in helping gain control of large, complex, fluid environments like those found in banking," said Haitham Al-Faris, President and CEO at Al-Faris®. "The success at CBK, which has high security standards, shows how organizations can leverage our SIM solutions to get more out of their existing systems, automating processes that reduce mistakes and lower the costs of redundant processes, making for happier staff and lower administration costs."