A role in CzechIdM is an entity representing a set (1 or many) of permissions/privileges on the end system or in CzechIdM itself. Users acquire roles:

• automatically – according to the organizational placement of the identity, identity or contract attributes
• manually – through assigning based on the user’s request in the CzechIdM self-service or by a CzechIdM administrator.
• by business role - roles (sub) can be assigned automatically, when other role (superior) by defined role composition is assigned manually or by some automatic role.

From the perspective of the identity manager, it does not matter whether the user acquires an account in a specific application, is placed in a group in LDAP, his indication is set to “can use VPN”, or a permission is set for him in the application. In all the cases, a role is assigned. A simplification carried out like this allows general rules to be applied for assigning all types of permissions (~roles) in the same way.

Roles are assigned to users via their contracts. If a contract is not valid (time validity) the roles on the contract are removed. In other words, the identity loses roles permissions in IdM and rights in connected systems.

Role with the same base code could be created from / for different environment. Final role code is combined from the base code and environment identifier. When role is created (or synchronized), then role attributes can be used:

• baseCode - base code without environment. If environment is not used, then baseCode value is the same as code value, e.g. roleOne
• environment - environment identifier, e.g. dev.
• code - complex code. If environment is not used, then baseCode value is the same as code value, otherwise complex code is combined from base code, environment and joined with separator (| by default). For example roleOne|dev.

Role permissions define rights for administrator actions in CzechIdM. A permission for CzechIdM is not necessarily defined for every role. A permission is, for example, READ on USERS. A user having a role with this specific permission can see the read-only detail of all identities in CzechIdM.

The level of criticality can be set for every role. Criticality denotes, who approves its assignment. Role can have criticality from 0 to 5.

Business roles (composition) can be defined on role detail. Business role could contain sub roles - all sub roles are assigned automatically, when business role is assigned to identity. Sub roles has the same validity as business role. When assigned business role is removed from identity, then all sub roles are removed automatically too. Sub roles are processed on the background asynchronously (by processors), only business roles (⇒ direct roles) are assigned synchronously. Sub roles defined by business roles are recalculated on the background (by long running tasks), when business role definition is created or removed - sub roles are assigned to identities, which already owns business (or any superior) role.

Segregation of Duties (SoD) can be defined by incompatible roles. Definition is almost the same as business roles definition above.

Old generation of CzechIdM had a feature of Role's incompatibility. The incompatibility means that you can define restrictions on roles A nad B that will forbid any user or process to assign those to roles together to the same user. In new generation of CezchIdM we have a similar feature now. However, due to our experiences from CzechIdM deployments on projects the incompatibility is soft. It means that CzechIdM will allow the user to have incompatible roles assigned to the identity, but an administrator/security manager will be notified about this incident. Security also have tools to generate reports with users and their incompatible roles - report is developer in the report module with name Identities - assigned incompatible roles.

When identity has incompatible roles assigned, then warning with incompatible role definition is shown. The same warning is shown on business role definition (business role contains incompatible sub roles) and when identity requests new roles (for example currently assigned role is incompatible with the new one requested).

The role can be linked to a Tree structure (e.g. position in organizational structure). That role is assigned to and removed from a user based on adding/removing the user (via their contract or other contract position) to/from the organizational tree structure. If a contract is not valid yet, roles are assigned but are disabled until the contract starts.

The role can be also linked with value in attribute (value can be stored in Identity, Identity extended attribute, Contract and Contract extended attribute). That role is assigned to and removed from a user based on the value in the specific attribute. Recalculating of this automatic roles is done after saving identity, identity extended attribute attributes, contract and contract extended attribute attributes. All necessary attributes that defined automatic role by attribute are defined by agenda "Automatic role by attribute".

After save identity (save from identity detail) it will be done recalculation for all automatic roles that has at least one rule with type IDENTITY, recalculation from identity is done for all contracts for saved identity. After save contract extended attributes (save from extended attribute detail) it will be done recalculation for all automatic roles that has at least one rule with type CONTRACT_EAV.

Automatically assigned roles have a significant safety impact. When creating, editing, or deleting, it is necessary that the process is approved. For this purpose, an agenda for requests for change of automatic roles has been created.

This request gets the approval process from the criticality defined for that role. Critical role determines what process the application must accomplish to implement it.

Processes of defined by the role criticality is defined here. Processes for approval change of an automatic role are different then processes using for approving assign role to one user. For clarity, both processes (role assignment, change of the automatic role) are defined in one final process.

• Creating a role
• Defining permissions for a role
• Creating an automatically assigned role by organization structure
• Creating an automatically assigned role by identity attribute

• Authorization policies
• Automatic roles by organization structure
• Automatic roles by attribute
• automatic_role_request