Save time and simplify VMS access with SCIM and SSO.

Managing user access to business systems has long been a frustrating, time-consuming, and error-prone process for any large organization — and in the past, managing the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS access was no exception. 

We are proud to announce that’s no longer the case. By integrating both SCIM (which stands for “System for Cross-domain Identity Management”) and SSO (“Single Sign-on”), Eagle Eye has made it simple for enterprise users to quickly onboard and offboard users and manage permissions as users’ needs for VMS access evolve.    

Solving complicated access issues for bigger clients 

Once you’re beyond a handful of users with need to access the system, you quickly run into time-intensive administration tasks just to assign and manage access privileges. Think of a large organization with hundreds or even thousands of employees, many of whom require access to the VMS based on their role, department, or location. And the VMS may be only one of several apps they’ll need access to. Managing and securing that access at scale is the problem that SCIM and SSO solve. 

Consider these common pain points that can make assigning the proper access difficult:

• Manually adding new users, updating their roles, or removing access for departing employees. 
• Juggling multiple passwords for various systems, including the VMS, increasing the likelihood of weak or reused passwords.
• Tracking who has VMS access, both for operational purposes and in anticipation of internal or external audits.
• Harmonizing VMS user accounts with other business system accounts, for a unified view of user privileges.

These challenges create inefficiencies — and they also pose security risks. Unsecured or poorly secured access leaves you vulnerable to unauthorized access and data breaches.

Centrally manage authentication, authorization, and user provisioning

This is where SCIM and SSO step in to automate and secure VMS user management.

SCIM (pronounced “skim”) is an open standard that defines how user identities are exchanged between identity providers (IdPs) like Okta and Microsoft Entra ID, and service providers, including cloud-based VMS vendors like Eagle Eye. Think of it as a universal language for identity data.

For VMS administrators, SCIM enables:

• Automated user provisioning: When a new employee who needs VMS access joins, SCIM can automatically create an account with the correct permissions.
• Real-time updates: Changes to user roles, departments, or other attributes in your IdP are automatically synced, ensuring that user privileges are always up-to-date.
• Automated deprovisioning: When an employee leaves, their VMS access can be revoked as part of the deprovisioning process in your IdP, mitigating the risk of inappropriate access.
• Role management: SCIM can sync users by their designated roles, simplifying permissions management for large teams.
• Location- or role-based camera access: Users can be granted access to cameras based on function (such as perimeter patrol) or geographic location (such as all cameras at a single site). 

The power of Single Sign-On for VMS

SSO allows users to access multiple applications with a single set of credentials and makes it easier to enable convenient multi-factor authentication (MFA). For VMS users, this means no more remembering separate passwords and fewer support requests due to lost passwords. Users can seamlessly log in to the VMS using their existing enterprise credentials, which provides an improved security posture and a better user experience. You can update credentials without needing to reissue passwords. (And of course, your VMS is just one system that your employees can get to easily through SSO.)

In addition, all login attempts are recorded by the IdP, providing a comprehensive audit trail for compliance and security investigations.

Better together

Together, SCIM and SSO provide system administrators and IT departments a system for complete lifecycle management, from new hire to smooth offboarding, freeing up your team for more strategic initiatives. 

With real-time synchronization of user roles and attributes, you can easily enforce the principle of “least privilege,” ensuring users only have access to the VMS features and camera feeds necessary for their job functions.

The practical upshot

The VMS is a critical component of your physical security system. By leveraging the power of SCIM for automated identity provisioning and SSO for streamlined, secure access, organizations can enhance the value of their system through improved user management. And since both SCIM and SSO are tools that scale, you can devote a smaller slice of IT department time to managing VMS access, no matter how many people need access.  

Eagle Eye Cloud VMS Enterprise Edition integrates SCIM. Want to learn more? Just get in touch with your Eagle Eye representative.

Timothy Lord

Timothy Lord has witnessed and written about IT security trends and the ongoing evolution of SaaS for more than 25 years.