Enterprise Identity Credential Access Management (EICAM) modernization for Federal Housing Administration Connection

The Federal Housing Administration Connection (FHAC) provides FHA-approved lenders and business partners with access to HUD’s computer systems, supporting 9 high-value systems including the Single Family and Multifamily Housing Programs, Public and Indian Housing, and the Chief Financial Officer. FHA’s legacy systems were overextended, costly to maintain, and did not meet Federal Identity Credential Access Management requirements. These systems had differing solutions for identity management that scale poorly and provide an unfavorable user experience.

With TMF support, HUD established the foundation for an Enterprise Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS) capability built on Okta MFA, Universal Directory, and Secure ID Proofing, aligned with OMB M-22-09 and DHS Zero Trust maturity goals. HUD is the first federal agency to validate an internally managed seamless integration of ID Proofing capabilities with MFA capabilities for enhanced frictionless user experience.  HUD also successfully implemented EICAM architecture as a layered enterprise identity capability that replaces fragmented, non-compliant legacy authentication system-specific approaches.

The EICAM modernization process delivered measurable results:

• Security & User Base: Up to 95,000 FHA lenders successfully transitioned to phishing-resistant Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) across nine systems, significantly enhancing the agency’s security posture.
• Cost Savings: Legacy solutions were retired, reducing licensing and support costs.
• Core Benefits: The successful implementation enhanced security, delivered efficiency gains, and improved privacy data management for users.
• Enhanced Fraud Protection & Threat Insights: HUD’s ID Proofing foundation will enable the correct people to access the appropriate systems at the right time, reducing the cost of manual reviews, improper payments, and government systems fraud.