Identity Access Management (IAM) Modernization

Progress update - March 2025

The IAM Modernization project continued progressing toward the Open Beta release, with key development work completed. However, security reviews have introduced additional requirements that are putting significant pressure on the Open Beta timeline. Despite some missed interim targets, the team has taken steps to adjust its approach, mitigate risks, and keep the project moving forward.

While the project health initially trended negative due to delays in IDV vendor selection and re-planning for production release dates, it improved over the course of the month. By the end of February, core development was complete, and testing activities had begun. Risks remain around agency application integration and procurement of necessary Twilio products.

Planned Activities for March

• Security & Testing:
  • Conduct IAM Security Design Review for Open Beta.
  • Perform initial security log data transfer to SIEM (testing scheduled for 3/5).
  • Engage Auth0 security team for completion of Appendix B of SDR.
  • Completion of Open Beta testing
• Development & Implementation:
  • Develop Profile Update MFA methods.
  • Finalize Open Beta application and begin engagement with the team.
  • Deploy Open Beta to production
• Vendor & Procurement:
  • Engage Sendgrid technical resources for completion of Security Design Reviews.
  • Procure additional Twilio products required for Open Beta.
  • Finalize decision on IDV Vendor and proceed with procurement.
• Governance & Communication:
  • Begin cohort engagement with CRAB.
  • Finalize Social Login recommendation and present to leadership for decision.
  • Ensure user stories in the backlog accurately reflect known requirements.
  • Align VLAN segmentation alternatives and associated risks.

Read the full March project status update

Overview

Since 2019, a renewed focus has been placed on cloud computing, data management, resident experience, privacy and cybersecurity.  In addition, there is increased recognition that consumers of Washington state services and our vendors expect to be able to interact with the state consistent with the basic levels of Identity Management provided by the private sector. 

There is a recognized need across the enterprise to modernize our Identity Management (IAM) capabilities to meet these expectations and to better manage access to systems and services in a controlled manner. 

Specific drivers of our need to modernize IAM include:

• Existing enterprise solutions are limited to email-based authentication.  The current model of federated identity verification has no single and comprehensive view of user identity.  This has resulted in a disjointed user experience as users manage multiple portions of their identity across disparate systems (trust model).
• Consolidation of access to state services using an updated resident portal that will be a front door for access to all state services and will be dependent on IAM functionality.
• Ever increasing need to mitigate access-related risks and potential fraud.
• Outdated policies driving increased waiver requests that increase barriers to delivery of services while proliferating siloed identity stores.
• Additional IAM functionality needed to realize benefits associated with migration toward cloud computing.
• Supporting the state’s Digital Equity goals by eliminating outdated technology and policies which increase barriers to services.
• Alignment to top priorities of national state CIOs. IAM is the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) sixth ranked priority of their 2022 top 10 priorities.
• Mitigate identity sprawl by modernizing to meet federation needs and integration with other identity stores while maintaining a single source of truth for identity. 

Vision

IAM Strategic Vision: Washington residents can access state digital services efficiently with confidence that their information is protected and privacy is respected. The state reduces risk by verifying all users and authenticating all transactions while increasing digital equity and access to state services.  

Project goals in support of Strategic Vision:  Engage agency partners and complete a successful technology Proof of Concept resulting in contracts with technology and service providers necessary to modernize IAM technology and processes for the state of Washington.