Ever wonder how Identity Security Cloud (ISC) talks to your on-prem apps without poking holes in your firewall? Enter the Virtual Appliance (VA) - the unsung hero quietly powering secure identity governance behind the scenes.

Let’s break it down:

Imagine you're running an organization with a mix of cloud and on-prem systems - Active Directory, file servers, HR platforms, etc. ISC needs to connect to those systems to provision access, run certifications, or pull identity data. But… your on-prem systems live behind a firewall. You don’t want the cloud reaching in (security says: X).

The solution? YOU reach out.

The VA is a Linux-based virtual machine you install inside your network. It acts like a local agent that reaches out to the ISC, not the other way around.

Think of it like this:

You’ve got a secure messenger in your building (the VA). ISC leaves encrypted notes for it in a shared mailbox (the Cluster Queue). The messenger (VA) picks them up, reads the task - “Go update Bob’s access in Active Directory” - executes it, then reports back.

All of this happens securely, using outbound traffic only. No open ports, no weird firewall rules. Clean, safe, effective.

Real‑World Example:

The moment HR clicks “Terminate” for Alice in Workday, ISC acts once the update is aggregated. It pushes a set of deprovisioning jobs to the cloud queue, no inbound holes in your firewall.

Your on‑prem Virtual Appliance then:

Disables her Active Directory login

Revokes VPN and Exchange access

Locks her database schemas

Deactivates API keys and service accounts

All over a single outbound TLS connection, and all in under 3 minutes, with every step stamped and auditable.

Multiply that by 2,000 departures each year across 15 critical systems, and you’ve got truly hands‑off, bulletproof offboarding. That’s the magic of ISC + VA.

Some tips I’ve learned from real deployments:

Always deploy at least 2 VAs per cluster - one can go down for updates while the other keeps things running.

Place them close to the systems they talk to. A VA next to your cloud HR app in Europe won’t perform well for an on-prem payroll server in the U.S.

Keep sandbox and production separate - so you can catch issues early during updates.

Restarting a VA cluster fixes more problems than you’d think

Avoid putting VAs in the DMZ. It’s like parking a secure car in a sketchy alley.

Bottom line:

Virtual Appliances let ISC connect securely to your world, do the heavy lifting quietly, and keep your identity data flowing without you losing sleep over firewalls, proxies, or rogue admin access.

If you’ve got ISC, your VAs are doing more than you think.

Not Sure Which Connection Option Fits Best?

Choosing between Standard, HTTP Proxy, or Network Tunnel isn’t just technical, it’s strategic.

At NeverHack, we’ve helped countless organizations optimize their ISC deployments for maximum security and performance.

Author : Youssef AGHZERE