Description
According to our Professional Services team, 60–70% of administrators in customer environments already have PowerShell skills, far outpacing other scripting languages like Bash. PowerShell has become the language of choice for Windows administration, hybrid Active Directory environments, and Microsoft cloud operations.
Yet despite its ubiquity, securely delegating PowerShell execution remains a challenge. Organizations either grant excessive standing privileges, rely on privileged administrators for routine tasks, or struggle to audit what was run, by whom, and with what impact.
That’s why SailPoint Identity Security Cloud (ISC) now enables secure PowerShell script execution directly within Privileged Task Automation and SaaS Workflows, giving IT teams the automation they want without the risks they don’t. Instead of embedding the script, Workflows securely reference the script path, ensuring the script executes on your infrastructure. This approach streamlines automation, enhances security with measures like Kerberos authentication, checksum validation, and ensures seamless integration within existing workflows. Furthermore, the flexible output options and clear error handling ensure dependable automation and seamless data flow, making it a valuable asset for organizations seeking to optimize their identity security operations.
Let’s explore how this works in practice:
Joiner workflow automation
Enhancing ISC Provisioning with PowerShell Integration: After SailPoint Identity Security Cloud handles core account lifecycle management such as Active Directory account creation, group memberships, and application access provisioning, PowerShell scripts can automate the supplementary setup tasks that make new employees truly productive from day one.
These enhancement tasks include home directory creation with custom permissions and folder structures, device registration and configuration with management systems like InTune or JAMF, custom organizational processes and compliance setup, environmental configurations specific to department or role, and integration with third-party systems not covered by standard ISC connectors. This approach ensures that ISC remains the authoritative source for identity governance while PowerShell handles the organization-specific customizations that complete the onboarding experience.
Leaver workflow automation
A PowerShell script for the purposes of Exchange Online Mailbox management enables comprehensive leaver workflow automation, including automatically activating litigation holds for compliance purposes, converting mailboxes from user-specific to shared types, delegating manager access with appropriate permissions, and configuring SendAs permissions for a seamless transition. These features are fully integrated with broader off-boarding processes, ensuring a secure and efficient departure for employees.
Active Directory operations
Streamline Active Directory operations by automating cross-domain user management and group membership tasks, facilitating bulk attribute updates and organizational unit management, and managing account lifecycles across multiple domains. In addition to the dedicated ‘Create Group’ command within the Active Directory action in Workflows, PowerShell can be used to simplify security group provisioning and access control updates, offering another way to manage group creation and configuration. PowerShell’s strength lies in handling more complex or highly customized group creation scenarios that go beyond the standard ‘Create Group’ command. For example, you might use PowerShell to set specific advanced attributes, integrate with other systems during group creation, or enforce highly granular naming conventions.
Why is PowerShell execution and delegation governance important?
PowerShell execution and delegation governance is critical for several reasons.
For IT Operations:
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Reduces manual overhead by automating routine tasks without compromising security
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Ensures consistent execution through standardized scripts
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Enables scalable operations by handling increased automation demands without additional staffing
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Leverages existing PowerShell competency and scripts for native tool integration.
For security teams:
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Privileged access reduction by eliminating standing PowerShell privileges for end users
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Controlled delegation with secure script execution and proper oversight
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Comprehensive audit trail maintenance for complete visibility
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Compliance alignment to meet security requirements while enabling operational efficiency.
For business leadership:
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Implementation acceleration through Professional Services teams leveraging PowerShell for faster deployments
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Reduced operational costs with less manual intervention
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Risk mitigation through controlled automation
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Competitive differentiation with advanced automation capabilities that customers value.
Start building PowerShell-enabled workflows today
SailPoint empowers IT teams with the PowerShell automation they need, all within a secure framework. With 60-70% of administrators already possessing PowerShell skills, our solution leverages this expertise while eliminating the risks associated with excessive privileges and unaudited script execution. Take the next steps in transforming your operational efficiency by scheduling a demo with your Solution Engineer to see PowerShell automation in action. If you need assistance developing custom PowerShell scripts for your specific organizational requirements, our Professional Services team can help design and implement automation solutions tailored to your environment. This capability is included with Privileged Task Automation.