Amazon has launched a new tool called Amazon Q Business, a conversational assistant powered by generative artificial intelligence that promises to significantly improve workforce productivity. This assistant has the ability to respond to questions and complete tasks based on information contained in the business systems that each user is authorized to access.
In a previous analysis, it was shown how secure and private generative AI applications can be created using Amazon Q Business and AWS IAM Identity Center. Now, even those who have not adopted widespread use of AWS IAM Identity Center in their organizations can manage user access to Amazon Q Business applications through Amazon Q Business IAM Federation. This tool allows for direct access management from their enterprise identity provider, such as Okta or Ping Identity, leveraging Federation with IAM and without the need to use the IAM Identity Center.
AWS recommends using the AWS Identity Center if the organization has a large number of users to ensure smooth access management to multiple Amazon Q Business applications across many AWS accounts in AWS Organizations. However, for those who prefer not to use the Identity Center, Amazon Q Business IAM Federation offers an alternative, although with certain limitations such as lack of support for federated groups and the inability to charge a user only once for their highest level of subscription to applications when they share a SAML or OIDC identity provider.
To implement this solution, an IAM identity provider for SAML or OIDC must be created, depending on the organization’s IdP integration. When creating an Amazon Q Business application, the corresponding IAM identity provider is selected and configured, thus validating the identity of the authenticated user and generating responses based solely on the business content to which the user has authorized access.
The user subscription process is different when using the Identity Center compared to IAM Federation. With the Identity Center, subscriptions are deduplicated and the user is charged only once for their highest subscription level. However, with IAM Federation, if a user uses multiple Amazon Q Business applications across different AWS accounts, they will be independently charged for each.
Despite current limitations, such as lack of OIDC support for Google and Microsoft Sign-in ID and lack of federated group membership validation, Amazon Q Business IAM Federation allows companies to create private and secure generative AI assistants that can improve productivity and maintain employee confidentiality.
For those interested in implementing this tool, Amazon has provided detailed instructions and practical examples on their documentation website. The company emphasizes that, although the business use of generative AI applications must respect access controls and ensure privacy and confidentiality, Amazon Q Business achieves this goal by integrating with IAM Identity Center or IAM Federation, continuously validating user identities and applying appropriate access control lists.
Those wishing to learn more about Amazon Q Business can consult the resources provided by Amazon, including user guides and company blog posts, to explore how this powerful tool can be integrated into their business systems and enhance staff productivity.
via: MiMub in Spanish
