Just-in-time access based on screening criteria to maintain control of restricted data in cloud computing environments

One or more computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:

• receiving incident information regarding an incident in a cloud computing environment;
• providing the incident information to a portal on a DevOps device for review by a DevOps personnel who does not have persistent access to restricted data in the cloud computing environment;
• receiving, at a service within the cloud computing environment from the portal on the DevOps device, a request for a just-in-time (JIT) access session to access a resource in a production environment of the cloud computing environment, the request specifying request parameters including a level or type of access requested and information regarding an incident;
• accessing a JIT policy for the resource from a database of JIT policies stored in the cloud computing environment for a plurality of resources in the production environment of the cloud computing environment, the JIT policy stored in the database for processing by the service within the cloud computing environment to allow the service to automatically determine whether to grant JIT access to the resource;
• determining that the JIT policy for the resource includes screening criteria restricting JIT access to the resource, the screening criteria specifying one or more security clearance procedures;
• accessing screening information for the DevOps personnel;
• determining, by the service within the cloud computing environment, whether to automatically approve the request for the JIT access session based at least in part automatically evaluating the request parameters using the JIT policy for the resource to determine whether the level or type of access requested is automatically approved depending on:
• (1) a type of the incident;
• (2) whether the incident is active;
• and (3) a comparison of the screening information for the DevOps personnel to the screening criteria of the JIT policy for the resource to verify that the one or more security clearance procedures have been performed for the DevOps personnel;
• if it is determined to automatically approve the request for the JIT access session, provisioning the JIT access session for the DevOps device including setting a time limit for the JIT access;
• and
• if it is determined not to automatically approve the request for the JIT access session, sending the request for the JIT access session to a portal on an operator device for review by an operating personnel who has access to restricted data in the cloud computing environment.

A computerized method comprising:

• receiving, at a service within a cloud computing environment, a request for a just-in-time (JIT) access session to a resource within the cloud computing environment, the request being received from a DevOps device operated by a DevOps personnel who does not have persistent access to restricted data in the cloud computing environment, the request specifying request parameters including a level or type of access requested and information regarding an incident;
• accessing, from a database of JIT policies stored in the cloud computing environment for a plurality of resources within the cloud computing environment, a JIT policy for the resource specified by the request, the JIT policy stored in the database for processing by the service within the cloud computing environment to allow the service to automatically determine whether to grant JIT access to the resource;
• identifying screening criteria from the JIT policy for the resource, the screening criteria specifying one or more security clearance procedures;
• receiving screening information for the DevOps personnel;
• determining, by the service within the cloud computing environment, whether to approve the request for JIT access based at least in part on automatically evaluating the request parameters using the JIT policy for the resource to determine whether the level or type of access requested is automatically approved depending on:
• (1) a type of the incident;
• (2) whether the incident is active;
• and (3) a determination that the screening information for the DevOps personnel satisfies the screening criteria by verifying that the one or more security clearance procedures have been performed for the DevOps personnel;
• and
• if it is determined to automatically approve the request for JIT access, provisioning the JIT access session for the DevOps device based on determining the screening information for the DevOps personnel satisfies the screening criteria;
• and
• if it is determined not to automatically approve the request for JIT access, sending the request for JIT access to a portal on an operator device for review by an operating personnel who has access to restricted data in the cloud computing environment.