With the recent boom in cloud technology, business working practices are rapidly evolving. Business data and applications, once stored on in house file servers are now being managed by online third party services. Ensuring your employees can sign in and access online resources easily and safely is where Azure Active Directory comes in.
What is Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)?
Azure AD is Microsoft’s cloud based identity and access management service. In other words, it is the infrastructure that allows your employees to safely sign in and access resources held in Office 365 and other cloud based applications. It comes in various editions with different price plans. However, if you have signed up to Office 365 then you will already have access to the free edition.
What is the difference between Azure AD and Active Directory?
Azure AD is not simply the cloud version of Active Directory. Active directory is great for managing on premises applications and infrastructure whereas Azure AD is perfect for managing user access to cloud applications.
What if my employees require access to on-premises AND cloud based applications?
A hybrid solution (hybrid identity) can be achieved by integrating Active Directory with Azure AD. This solution can create a common user identity for authentication and authorization to all resources, regardless of location. Employees can then access on-premises applications, cloud services or Office 365 resources via a single sign on. It has the added benefit that administrators will only need to manage one identity instead of managing two identities in different systems.
What are the benefits of Azure AD
1. The biggest advantage to users is Single Sign-On (SSO) for multiple applications. This enables employees to access safely all the resources they need by signing in just once. Gone is the need to keep track of multiple passwords for different sites.
2. It makes life easier for administrators as there is just one place to go to manage user identities and permissions.
3. It has a self-service portal for resetting passwords.
4. It increases business security via
- Multi factor authentication and conditional access
- Privileged identity management
- Real time threat detection. It warns administrators of unauthorised access and account hijacking
- Comprehensive reporting that enables businesses to monitor application usage and improve security
5. Azure AD works with more than just Microsoft products. It supports many popular cloud services (SaaS).
6. It is a highly available global service, making it accessible wherever you are in the world.
Now that home working seems set to remain as a viable alternative to office working, it is more important than ever that employees have safe and easy access to all the resources they need. Azure AD provides businesses with a cost-effective solution that is both easy to use and easy to manage.
If you would like to find out more or need help with setting up Azure Active Directory in your business, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Data Computer Services is an established, highly rated IT support company in Edinburgh.