SAML Solution Guides

Introduction

V-OS Cloud provides many services that will help organizations to implement secure authentication mechanisms to protect their services easily and effortlessly.

V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 solution is based on the V-OS PKI Token solution hosted by the key components on V-OS Cloud, the V-OS Cloud Identity Management (IDM), and the V-Key app that is available on both Android and iOS. These cloud components are used for integrating the thrid-party services that you wish to implement secure authentication and authorization through directory services and authentication protocol connectors.

The services that have been verified to be compatible with V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 solution are:

  • Amazone AWS
  • Confluence
  • GitHub
  • Ingram Micro Cloud
  • JFrog
  • JIRA
  • Microsoft Office 365
  • Oracle Identity Cloud
  • Salesforce
  • Zoom
  • Jamf
  • Okta
  • Delinea
  • Oracle
  • PingIdentity
  • MiniOrange
  • Citrix

Solution Architecture

V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 solution consumes the cloud-hosted V-Key PKI suite, V-OS Cloud IDM, and V-Key app that are available to your users to connect from anywhere, anytime.

The following architecture diagram shows how V-OS Cloud interacts with the SAML2.0 service provider.

V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 2FA Solution Architecture
Fig 1: V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 2FA Solution Architecture

V-OS Cloud IDM acts as an IdP server and uses SAML2.0 connector that enables service providers, such as Office, to send requests for SAML2.0 authentication.

V-OS Cloud IDM provides directory connectors that allow you to authenticate users through existing directory credentials, both online directories, such as Azure Active Directory, JumpCloud, and on-premises directories, such as Active Directory in the local network for primary authentication before raising the secondary authentication to V-Key app.

V-OS Cloud Components

V-OS Cloud PortalThe V-OS Cloud Portal is the web interface where you can sign up, subscribe, manage subscriptions, services, payments, and orders. The URL to the Portal is https://cloud.v-key.com.V-OS Cloud DashboardThe V-OS Cloud Dashboard is the client area restricted by access accounts. You can log in to the Dashboard with either a root, admin, or supervisor account. You can configure (environments, services, and connectors), deploy services, and manage service users of your organization through the Dashboard. Only root and admin users have the right to do configurations and modifications in the Dashboard. Users with supervisor access right have only view access to the Dashboard. The URL to login to the Dashboard is https://cloud.v-key.com/login.V-OS Cloud IDMThe V-OS Cloud Identity Management (IDM) is the access gateway that handles communication between the V-OS Cloud and various components such as directories, RADIUS server, SAML server, etc. that are available in your organization for initiating and performing the authorization and authentication of end-users.V-Key AppThe V-Key app is a mobile app developed for V-OS Cloud that can be used to do 2nd factor authentication for service accesses. It serves as a virtual token to help end-users to manage accounts and do authentication approval. The V-Key app is mandatory for end-users to utilize the V-OS Cloud services if your organization subscribed to the Free or Professional plan. The V-Key app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It is recommended to always upgrade your V-Key app to the latest version.

Organizational/Third-party Components

DirectoryThe directory service that the credentials of the end-users are stored. V-OS Cloud IDM will communicate to this directory by LDAP protocol to authorize users during user login, V-Key app activation, and first authentication. It is mandatory to expose this directory for V-OS Cloud IDM to query during authorization and authentication.

V-OS Cloud supports the following directories:

  • Microsoft Active Directory: the directory that your organization installed on-premise and used to integrate with V-OS Cloud from outside of the enterprise network
  • Azure Active Directory (AAD): the directory on Microsoft Azure Cloud Services
  • Online 3rd Party Directory Services: other 3rd party directory services, such as JumpCloud, that provide online directory services
  • OpenLDAP: an open-source software for directories that enterprises can use and deploy on their environment
  • Other LDAPs: other LDAP-based authentication software/services that V-OS Cloud is compatible with

Note: If your organization doesn’t have any directory services or cannot enable the directory to integrate with V-OS Cloud, we have a solution to migrate your users’ credentials to our cloud, contact us at [email protected] for more details.

Third-party Service SubscriptionThe application of your organization or thrid-party service that will be integrated with the V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 solution.

Flow Diagram

The following diagram shows the communication flow in V-OS Cloud when a user tries to connect to log in to the thrid-party service with V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 solution integrated.

Flow of V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 Solution
Fig 2: Flow of V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 Solution

The sample flow of the V-OS Cloud SAML2.0 solution is as follows:

Note: The primary directory is used for authenticating the user when logging in to the V-Key app. The secondary directory is used for authenticating the user when trying to connect to the thrid-party service. The primary and secondary directories can be the same directory or different directories. When a user tries to log in to the V-Key app, V-OS Cloud IDM queries the primary directory to authenticate the user.

  1. Steps 1.1 – 1.4: The user triggers the third-party service login session through the browser or app. The user is then redirected to the Login page on V-OS Cloud IDM to input their credentials for authentication.
  2. Steps 2.1 – 2.6: V-OS Cloud IDM does 1st factor authentication with the secondary directory, and triggers 2nd factor authentication request to V-Key app on user’s mobile device.
  3. Steps 3.1 – 3.6: The user confirms the 2FA request on the V-Key app which will trigger the confirmation to be sent back to V-OS Cloud IDM. V-OS Cloud IDM then responds to the third-party service to allow service access.