Cross-Domain Identity Management (SCIM)

Cross-Domain Identity Management (SCIM) is a standardized protocol that simplifies the exchange of user identity information across systems, platforms, and domains. Standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in 2015, SCIM provides a framework for automating user account and access permission management, ensuring that identity data remains synchronized between identity providers and connected applications. This automation reduces administrative overhead and minimizes errors associated with manual updates to user records, especially in large-scale enterprise environments. SCIM is essential for maintaining consistent user account attributes such as names, roles, and group memberships across multiple services.

Inbound SCIM requests are a critical part of this identity management ecosystem. These requests allow external identity sources, such as a Microsoft Entra provisioning service, to push updates to an organization’s internal identity system. When an inbound SCIM request is received, it may initiate a workflow that reflects the user’s current state, such as onboarding (joiner), role change (mover), or offboarding (leaver). Each request transmits updated user account attributes through a defined endpoint, ensuring that connected systems always have access to the most accurate and up-to-date identity information. This synchronization supports compliance, enhances operational efficiency, and strengthens access control consistency across integrated environments.

The Microsoft Entra provisioning service, among others, plays a key role in facilitating these automated exchanges by securely delivering identity data from a centralized directory to downstream systems via SCIM. These automated updates eliminate the need for repeated manual intervention, ensuring that changes in user access — such as department transfers or role reassignments — are reflected on a scheduled basis (for example, roughly every 40 minutes by default) across connected applications. By leveraging SCIM endpoints, organizations can maintain a unified and secure identity posture, aligning access rights with business policies and reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

Imprivata supports SCIM-based provisioning integrations, enabling inbound SCIM requests from systems like Microsoft Entra to trigger joiner, mover, and leaver workflows while continuously delivering current identity information. This integration ensures that access changes are reflected immediately across connected applications. The Emergency Logout capability further enhances security by activating a fast-lane leaver workflow, instantly offboarding a user’s identity without the need for additional approvals, which is critical in high-stakes or time-sensitive environments. With Imprivata Enterprise Access Management (EAM), organizations can centralize and automate identity lifecycle management, ensuring secure, efficient, and compliant user provisioning and deprovisioning across the enterprise.