Azure Active Directory To Become Entra ID
Microsoft has just announced that its identity and access management solution, Azure Active Directory, will become Entra ID by the end of 2023. Today, we explain what the change means for the system and its users.
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Comprised of Azure Active Directory, Entra ID Governance and Entra External ID, Microsoft Entra is the product family for Microsoft’s identity and network access solutions. To simplify its product naming and unify the Microsoft Entra product family, Microsoft has decided that Azure Active Directory will be renamed Entra ID. The only change will be the name of the system, with all previous capabilities and licensing plans remaining the same.
What is Entra ID (Azure Active Directory) and why does your business need it?
The rise of remote and hybrid work in recent years has led to a rapid increase in the digitisation of business systems, data and documents. As business information has become increasingly digitised, cybercriminals have identified an opportunity to strike. In the last year alone, Microsoft has seen a threefold increase in password attacks, with an average of 4000 attacks per second.
A powerful identity and access management solution like Microsoft Entra ID can help your business enhance security and safeguard critical systems and data by providing robust authentication and access control mechanisms. Such mechanisms can help businesses reduce the risk of unauthorised access, compliance violations and data breaches, allowing customers to develop stronger trust in the organisation. Microsoft Entra ID integrates with various Microsoft apps, such as M365, and third-party apps to offer the following capabilities.
Advanced Identity Governance
Entra ID allows businesses to manage and govern user identities more effectively by providing the following advanced identity governance features.
Identity lifecycle management (ILM) - This is how organisations create, adapt and delete digital identities on their systems. ILM in Entra ID helps you to manage and automate the entire digital identity lifecycle process, ensuring all staff identities are recorded accurately and have the access they need.
Priveleged identity management - Allows you to control and monitor access to important business resources, minimising the number of people who have access to sensitive information and reducing the risk of unauthorised access.
Access reviews - Enables you to regularly review user access permissions, ensuring the right people have access to the right information.
Multi- Factor Authentication
With multi-factor authentication, users are required to provide additional verification factors, such as an SMS code or mobile app notification, to protect against unauthorised access and enhance security. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) can be applied based on specific criteria, such as user roles or locations.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
The SSO functionality allows users to use a single set of credentials to access multiple apps and services, so users don’t have to remember and manage multiple usernames and passwords. This means that users are less likely to reuse passwords or choose weak passwords, both of which are a security risk.
If you would like to learn more about how Entra ID can help enhance your businesses security, contact one of our experts today.
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