Use case

Implementing AWS SSO in Argo CD and Argo Workflows with SAML 2.0

About the Customer

Illuminate Tech is a technology-driven company specializing in cloud-native solutions, automation, and infrastructure management. The company focuses on optimizing deployment processes and enhancing security through innovative DevOps practices. Their expertise includes Kubernetes-based deployments, workflow automation, and cloud security.

Customer Challenge

Illuminate Tech faced challenges with fragmented access management across its Kubernetes-based deployment tools, specifically Argo CD and Argo Workflows. The organization relied on separate credentials for each tool, resulting in security risks, inconsistent access policies, and increased administrative overhead.

Key issues included:

Decentralized Authentication: Users had to manage multiple credentials, increasing the risk of security breaches.
Inconsistent Access Policies: Disparate authorization rules led to misconfigurations and compliance concerns.
Administrative Burden: Manual provisioning and deprovisioning of users required significant time and effort.

Failure to address these challenges could result in security vulnerabilities, inefficient access management, and compliance risks.

Solution

To overcome these challenges, IAMOPS implemented AWS Single Sign-On (SSO) with SAML 2.0 to streamline authentication and enhance security.

Step 1: Setting Up AWS SSO

Created a customer-managed AWS SAML 2.0 application within AWS IAM Identity Center.
Configured attribute mappings and SAML parameters for authentication.

Step 2: Configuring Argo CD

Updated Dex configuration to support SAML authentication.
Created Kubernetes secrets for client ID and client secret.
Applied RBAC policies to enforce role-based access control.

Step 3: Configuring Argo Workflows

Integrated AWS SAML 2.0 setup for seamless SSO authentication.
Updated server authentication modes to enable SAML-based authentication.
Eliminated standalone authentication mechanisms, reducing security risks.

Step 4: Ensuring Secure Access Control

Implemented IAM roles and policies for controlled access provisioning.
Applied attribute-based authentication (ABA) to align with organizational policies.
Ensured fine-grained permission management via RBAC.

This integration provided a seamless single sign-on experience, eliminating the need for multiple credentials and streamlining access management across all services.

Below is the flow diagram illustrating the architecture of the implemented solution:

Results & Benefits

Enhanced Security:

Centralized authentication eliminated risks associated with multiple credentials.
Consistent access control across Kubernetes environments ensured compliance.

Streamlined Administration:

Automated user provisioning & deprovisioning reduced administrative overhead.
IAM-based role assignments enforced least privilege access control.

Improved User Experience:

Seamless login to Argo CD & Argo Workflows improved developer productivity.
Reduced login friction boosted operational efficiency.

Operational Efficiency:

Standardized access control configurations reduced inconsistencies.
Minimized security misconfigurations, decreasing breach risks.

About IAMOPS

IAMOPS is a full DevOps suite company that supports technology companies to achieve intense production readiness.

Our mission is to ensure that our clients’ infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines are scalable, mitigate failure points, optimize performance, ensure uptime, and minimize costs.

Our DevOps suite includes DevOps Core, NOC 24/7, FinOps, QA Automation, and DevSecOps to accelerate overall exponential growth.

As an AWS Advanced Tier Partner and Reseller, we focus on two key pillars: Professionalism by adhering to best practices and utilizing advanced technologies, Customer Experience with responsiveness, availability, clear project management, and transparency to provide an exceptional experience for our clients.