Cloudbrink adds identity tools & Crowdstrike link for hybrid work

Cloudbrink has announced a suite of native identity management services and a new integration with Crowdstrike for its Personal SASE platform.

Expanded platform

The addition of these services means customers can now manage authentication and authorisation for both users and devices from a single console, streamlining management and simplifying policy implementation. The platform brings together identity management capabilities and endpoint security, targeting enterprises with hybrid workforces and diverse user groups.

According to Prakash Mana, Chief Executive Officer of Cloudbrink, the changes are intended to support enterprises in navigating the complexities of today's digital environments.

"We are continually working toward increasing security and simplifying management within Cloudbrink. Adding identity management and Crowdstrike integration provides critical authentication and authorisation of both users and devices in the true spirit of zero-trust security. It can be overwhelming to manage the ever increasing complexity of AI apps, hybrid workforce, and proliferation of cloud services, plus third party users. Cloudbrink has been successful in delivering the best user experience for hybrid workforce with its innovative architecture, and now we are pleased to announce the ability to manage users identity services on the same platform."

Managing mixed workforces

In many workplaces, especially those relying on contractors, suppliers, and short-term partners, managing identity across multiple identity provider (IdP) solutions results in administrative complexity and increased operational cost. Integrations between different IdPs and zero-trust network access (ZTNA) platforms require careful coordination to manage roles and application access for these varied users. The traditional approach can lead to reduced visibility and compliance challenges for enterprises.

Identity management service features

Cloudbrink's identity management offering consolidates these functions into a suite designed to help IT teams, even smaller groups, manage large and diverse user bases. Key features include:

• Support for SAML 2.0, allowing integration with standard IdPs such as Entra ID, Okta, OneLogin and Keycloak, with multi-factor authentication (MFA) and group-based role assignments.
• SCIM support, for streamlined and less error-prone user-group mapping synchronisation.
• Local User Collections, enabling customers to manage user-to-group mappings directly on the Cloudbrink platform. This permits grouping of both internal and external users, with tailored access controls.
• Native OTP authentication, so customers can utilise one-time password policies for local User Collections.
• Multi-groups and nested-groups, which allow users to be included in and inherit permissions from multiple overlapping or hierarchical groups.
• Device authentication, which provides enterprise control over devices or machines accessing the network, supporting machine-to-machine (M2M) access, branch office settings, and AI or container deployments.

The current release was developed with Cloudbrink's partner WITHX in South Korea, in response to increased demand for integrated identity management in the region.

KiHwan Lee from WITHX commented on the partnership and the regional interest:

"We are getting interest across Asia from customers that want to manage their external users, such as contractors, suppliers, and vendors, on their local ZTNA. Cloudbrink developed a robust identity management service that gives our customers the unified platform they need, with the consolidation benefits of easier management and lower cost, while still providing the lightning fast secure access Cloudbrink is known for."

Crowdstrike integration

The integration with Crowdstrike forms another cornerstone of the update. By connecting with Crowdstrike's Falcon platform, Cloudbrink's system is able to access the Zero-Trust Score for endpoint devices, enabling real-time compliance enforcement. The platform can automatically detect and isolate endpoints that fall out of compliance or are affected by malware or untrusted software, helping businesses to mitigate threats more efficiently.

This update effectively brings together access security, endpoint security and application performance into a unified offering, aiming to reduce the need for separate, potentially duplicative products and consoles across enterprise environments.

Cloudbrink states that its identity management services and the integration with Crowdstrike are available now. These enhancements seek to address the demands of businesses managing growing numbers of users, devices, and external partners, especially in distributed or hybrid workforce settings.