Additional Connectors
In earlier posts in this series, we covered setting up the HelloID identity and access management (IAM) solution. Once the foundation is in place, it is time to connect the rest of your IT landscape to HelloID. In this post, you will learn how to do that and the role connectors play.
When setting up HelloID, you focus on tasks such as installing agents, connecting your HR system, and configuring your primary identity provider, such as Active Directory (AD) or Azure AD, which are included by default in HelloID; in other words, they are built in. In earlier posts, we also covered various configurations you can create, including correlations, thresholds, and notifications. Together, these components form the foundation of HelloID.
Now that the foundation of your HelloID implementation is in place, you can proceed with the next important step in adopting the IAM solution: connecting the rest of your IT landscape. Your organization may not use Microsoft Active Directory; instead, it uses Google Workspace. In both cases, connectors play a crucial role; connectors enable a straightforward connection between HelloID and other parts of your IT infrastructure.
Prioritizing Integrations
Before you start configuring a new connector integration, ideally, answer a few questions to determine the right order. Begin by identifying the applications with the highest administrative overhead and the greatest security and compliance impact. Then map the number of users for each application. Perform this analysis carefully so you know which applications are used most. This also influences how the application's availability impacts the business.
Do not forget to identify security risks linked to specific applications. Various factors influence this. Applications that process sensitive personal data or business data automatically present a higher security risk. You must manage these applications accurately and without errors. By using HelloID and the available connectors, you receive support in this process.
Choosing the Right Connector
Connecting applications to HelloID is not complex. The availability of a broad range of connectors streamlines this process. More than 200 connectors are available; an overview is available here. We continuously work on functional documentation and on developing new connectors, so keep this page in mind for updates. If you click a documented connector, you will see a detailed functional description of its capabilities.
Finding the right connector is straightforward. You can filter the connectors in the catalog by type (source or target), application category (such as HR, directory, mail, ECD, scheduling, or finance), and industry (including healthcare, education, and government). This immediately shows you all the connectors relevant to your use case.
Technical documentation for each connector is available, including a step-by-step configuration guide. You can consult this information on our GitHub page; more on that later.
Configuring a Connector
Installing a connector sometimes requires enabling an API on the application you want to connect to HelloID. For example, the connector for Google Workspace requires that you first configure access to the Google API. After you configure this access, you can proceed to install the connector. Simply download the connector and, as an administrator, add a new PowerShell target system in the HelloID Provisioning dashboard.
A connector supports all parts of the account lifecycle. It consists of five stages: create, delete, enable, disable, and update. Assigning authorizations is also part of this lifecycle. The capabilities HelloID offers for a specific integration depend on the application you connect to. For each account lifecycle step, you can add the corresponding script you downloaded. Then add the configuration.json to the custom connector configuration, and a new tab will appear.
Once the connector is fully installed, you can start configuring it. Provide the requested details, including the Client ID, Client Secret, and refresh token. Also, correlate existing persons and user accounts, including which values you want to use for this.
Finally, use the previously explained business rules, where the system you just added is now available under the Entitlements tab, to define in detail which accounts and authorizations HelloID provisions based on person and contract attributes.
The Right Connector is Always Available
With a very broad catalog of more than 200 connectors, there is almost always a connector available for the system you want to connect to HelloID. All connectors we offer are available at no cost. You can download the connectors from our GitHub page. For each connector, you will also find an explanation of the configuration required to put that specific connector into use.
If there is a connector you need that we do not yet offer, you can submit a request through our support portal, and we will develop it, provided it is technically feasible. After completing our free HelloID training and gaining sufficient experience and confidence working with connectors, you can also choose to build the integration yourself if you prefer.
Get Started
Ready to start connecting your IT landscape to HelloID? Then review our overview of connectors and choose the right connector for your use case. Do you run into issues or have questions? Then contact us.