Legacy Application Governance

Executive overview

Enterprises have invested heavily in modern identity platforms, yet many business‑critical applications remain outside governance controls. Legacy, on‑premise, and non‑federated applications often lack standards support (SAML/OIDC/SCIM), reliable logging, and automated deprovisioning. This leaves organizations with inconsistent access governance, manual reviews, and audit risk.

Credenti Unify extends identity enforcement, session telemetry, and lifecycle automation to applications that were never designed for modern governance—without modifying the application itself.

The hidden governance gap

A common governance requirement in regulated environments:

Example: Find all users who have not logged into a legacy on‑prem application (such as ERP, MES, EHR, case management, or financial systems like Fiserv/Bloomberg) in 30 days → notify their manager → remove access if no business justification exists.

Why this is hard for legacy apps

• Manual log extraction and normalization
• Spreadsheet-based analysis and evidence gathering
• Email chains for approvals with inconsistent documentation
• Manual account disablement with limited proof of enforcement

What auditors expect

• Individual accountability (who accessed what and when)
• Documented review and approval workflows
• Timely removal of dormant or unnecessary access
• Repeatable evidence exports for compliance

Architecture at a glance

Credenti Unify operates as an identity enforcement and governance layer between the user and the legacy application. This includes systems such as legacy ERP platforms, manufacturing MES applications, healthcare EHR systems, government case management systems, and financial trading or banking platforms that typically lack modern federation capabilities.

Industry examples

Financial Services: Fiserv, Bloomberg, core banking platforms
Manufacturing: MES and shop‑floor operational systems
Healthcare: EHR and clinical workstation applications
Government: Case management and CJIS‑regulated systems

Architecture diagram

User → Credenti Unify → Legacy On‑Prem Application (ERP • MES • EHR • Case Management • Financial Systems)

Identity Provider policy validation: Okta • Microsoft Entra • CyberArk • OIDC IdPs

What gets recorded

• User identity
• Timestamp of access
• Device used
• Authentication method
• Session start and end

Outcome: Legacy apps gain a consistent, identity‑linked audit trail that supports governance automation and compliance reporting.

Governance automation workflow

Replace manual spreadsheets with controlled, auditable automation for legacy on‑prem applications such as ERP systems, manufacturing MES platforms, healthcare EHR environments, internal case management tools, and financial systems.

Example: 30-day inactivity enforcement

1. Detect inactivity: Policy identifies users inactive for 30 days for a legacy on‑prem application.
2. Generate an attributed report: Each entry includes user identity and evidence timestamps.
3. Notify manager: Automated email or workflow request for approval/denial.
4. Enforce removal: Access removed automatically when not justified.
5. Log enforcement evidence: Policy, timestamps, and actions recorded for audit export.

Result: A repeatable access lifecycle process that auditors can validate—without depending on manual steps or fragmented evidence.

Extending governance to shared & operational systems

Many legacy applications run in environments where shared accounts and “always‑on” workflows are common:

• Shared workstations and kiosk-mode terminals
• Manufacturing MES and ERP systems
• Healthcare EHR fast-access workflows
• Government case management systems

Preserve speed, restore accountability

Credenti Unify preserves operational speed (no forced logout cycles that break continuous operations) while restoring per‑user identity attribution and audit‑ready evidence trails.

Access reviews & certification campaigns

Bring legacy applications into the same governance framework used for modern applications.

Common certification patterns

• Quarterly manager attestations
• Role-based review cycles
• Exception documentation
• Audit export capability

What changes: Evidence is generated automatically; approvals and enforcement are logged; reviews become repeatable and audit‑ready.

Compliance alignment

Credenti Unify supports governance expectations across major frameworks by enabling user attribution, policy-based access control, and verifiable audit trails for legacy applications.

Frameworks supported

• NIST 800-53 (AC-2, AC-6, IA controls)
• ISO 27001 Annex A.9 (Access Control)
• SOX logical access governance
• CJIS individual accountability
• HIPAA audit controls

Compliance outcomes

• Eliminate shared-account ambiguity
• Automate dormant access removal
• Produce exportable evidence on demand
• Maintain identity-linked audit trails

Operational & security impact

• Inactivity detection: manual log review → automated policy detection with attributed evidence
• Access reviews: email + spreadsheets → structured certification campaigns with audit export
• Shared accounts: no reliable traceability → per-user identity attribution across sessions
• Deprovisioning: manual disablement → policy-driven removal with enforcement logging
• Audit readiness: reactive evidence gathering → continuous, exportable evidence generation

Why Credenti Unify

Designed for what can’t federate

• No application rewrites
• No workflow disruption
• Works in domain-joined and non-domain environments
• Supports offline and air-gapped deployments

Aligned with enterprise identity

• Okta, Microsoft Entra, CyberArk, and OIDC IdP integration
• Consistent policy enforcement
• Governance automation across the full app estate

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