Strategic Architecture: Break Glass Account Management in Hexnode UEM

Summary: The “Emergency Override” Logic

In a Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) environment, Break-Glass Accounts (Emergency Access Accounts) are highly privileged local accounts designed to bypass standard security controls—such as Single Sign-On (SSO) and External Identity Provider (IdP) dependencies—during critical failures.

As enterprises increasingly rely on cloud-based IdPs (Okta, Entra ID, Google Workspace) for portal access, a break-glass strategy ensures that IT leadership retains fleet management capabilities even if the primary identity infrastructure suffers a global outage or a security breach.

Technical Framework: Hexnode Implementation

Hexnode simplifies break-glass management through its Technician and Roles architecture, allowing for the creation of accounts that exist independently of corporate directory syncs.

Local vs. SSO-Based Technicians

To be an effective fail-safe, a break-glass account must be a Local Technician.

• Path: Admin > Technicians and Roles > Add Technician.
• Credential Source: Select Local Password and ensure the account is excluded from Global SSO Login Settings.
• Privilege Level: Assign the Admin role to secondary break-glass accounts. (Note: The unique Super Admin account should also remain local as the primary recovery path).

The “Active-Standby” Paradox

To be a true fail-safe, the Break-Glass path must be Active (Enabled) at all times. Because Hexnode allows only one Super Admin, you must maintain a hierarchy that ensures access even if the Super Admin is unavailable.

Governance and Security Controls

Because break-glass accounts possess “High-Privilege” access, they must be governed by strict Zero-Trust principles.

• Account State: Enabled (Active). Ensuring the account is work-ready the moment the safe is opened, bypassing the need for another admin to activate it.
• Credential Storage: Use a Split-Password strategy: Half stored by the CISO, half by the CTO in a physical safe.
• Immediate Visibility: Configure Technician Login Reports or automated notifications to track and alert stakeholders the moment an emergency login occurs.
• Audit Integrity: Use Hexnode’s Activity Feed (Action History) to log every remote wipe, policy change, or enrollment performed during the emergency.

Emergency Use Cases (When to “Break the Glass”)

• IdP Outage: Your primary SSO provider is offline globally.
• MFA Failure: A secondary authentication service is experiencing service degradation.
• Global Admin Lockout: An accidental policy change (e.g., IP restriction) has blocked all standard admin access.
• Cybersecurity Incident: The primary identity directory is compromised, requiring the isolation of the UEM portal.

Resilience Checklist: Quarterly Maintenance

To ensure your break-glass strategy is functional, IT teams should conduct a DR (Disaster Recovery) Drill every 90 days:

• Verify Password: Ensure local credentials have not expired or been corrupted.
• Physical Custody Check: Confirm that the physical safe contains the correct password and 2FA Recovery Codes.
• Update Admin Contacts: Ensure the notification list for emergency logins is updated with current executive email addresses.

How Hexnode Simplifies Emergency Management

Hexnode provides a robust framework to build emergency access through:

• Granular RBAC: Create Custom Technician Roles that serve as dedicated emergency accounts with scoped access to specific domains or device groups.
• SSO and MFA Bypass: Local accounts can be configured to ignore global SSO mandates, ensuring a direct login path during third-party outages.
• Immediate Management: Speed is critical; Hexnode allows for instant Session Termination of all other accounts if a breach is suspected.
• Multi-Tenant Advantage: For MSPs, the Super Admin of the parent portal acts as the ultimate authority, able to assist sub-tenants who have locked themselves out of their portals.