For a large organization with a dynamic workforce, automating user lifecycle management is crucial for efficiency and security. The System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) is an open standard designed specifically for this purpose. By integrating Tableau Cloud with an identity provider (IdP) like Okta or Azure AD via SCIM, the organization can automate the provisioning, updating, and deprovisioning of users. When a user is created or their role changes in the IdP, the change is automatically pushed to Tableau Cloud, ensuring access rights are always current without manual intervention. This approach is scalable, secure, and significantly reduces administrative overhead.

A. Manual user account creation is inefficient, does not scale for a large organization, and is prone to human error, leading to delays and security risks.

C. Using a single shared account is a major security anti-pattern that eliminates individual accountability, prevents proper auditing, and makes role-based access control impossible.

D. Delegating management to department heads distributes the manual workload but does not automate it, leading to inconsistent practices and potential security gaps.

1. Tableau Cloud Documentation: "Configure SCIM with an Identity Provider". This official guide states

"You can use the System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM) to automatically provision and deprovision users and groups in Tableau Cloud... Using SCIM can save you time and reduce the errors associated with manually provisioning users."

Source: Tableau Help

"Configure SCIM with an Identity Provider

" Tableau Software

LLC.

2. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Standard: RFC 7643

"System for Cross-domain Identity Management: Core Schema". This document defines the standard itself.

Section 1

Introduction: "SCIM

System for Cross-domain Identity Management

is an application-level protocol for provisioning and managing identity data on the web... The protocol is designed to be a fast

low-overhead

and secure way of exchanging identity data between a 'client' and a 'service provider'."

Source: IETF RFC 7643

P. Jones

et al.

September 2015.

3. University Courseware: "Cloud Computing Security" materials often cover federated identity management.

Example Context: Lecture notes on Identity and Access Management (IAM) in cloud services would describe SAML for authentication and SCIM for automated user provisioning as complementary standards for enterprise integration. SCIM is presented as the solution for managing the user lifecycle (create

read

update

delete) across systems.

Source: Based on common curriculum in cloud security courses

such as those found in MIT OpenCourseWare or Stanford's Computer Science department

which cover enterprise identity federation principles.