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Introduction
This article teaches you about Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). It offers identity services that let your users sign in and use both cloud applications created by you and Microsoft as well as cloud applications created by others. You also learn about single sign-on with Azure AD (SSO).
Active Directory
Active Directory is known as AD. To grasp what Active Directory is, you must have a basic understanding of a domain controller.
The network's domain controller is in charge of centrally controlling user, PC, and server access. This is accomplished by using AD.
A database called Active Directory organizes the machines and users in your organization. Applications, file services, printers, and other network resources can all access with authentication and authorization. The Active Directory databases are accessed and modified via LDAP and authentication methods like Kerberos and NTLM.
Important Active Directory Features
In essence, AD keeps track of your users, PCs, and servers and verifies their identities when they log in (the network logon). Once logged in, AD also controls what users are permitted to do and access (authorization). As an illustration, it is aware that John Smith belongs to the Sales Group and is therefore prohibited from accessing the HR folder on the file server. Additionally, it enables management and control of PCs and Servers on the network using Group Policy (thus, for instance, you could set every user's browser's home page to be your intranet, or you might forbid users from installing other applications).
Users, computers, and groups are stored securely in this object database.
Organizational Units (OU), Domains, and Forests, together with LDAP, NTLM, and Kerberos, are used to organize objects (secure authentication between domain-joined devices)
Group Policy allows for precise control and administration of computers and servers within a domain.
Working of Windows Azure Active Directory
Cloud-based identity and access management service are called Azure AD (IAM). It belongs to the identity as a service (IDaaS) category and is a safe online authentication repository for both single user-profiles and groups of user profiles. Azure AD is designed to control access to servers and cloud-based services using cutting-edge authentication standards, including SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, and WS-Federation.
Through user accounts, which include a username and password, Azure AD controls access. Users may be divided into many categories, each of which may be given a separate set of access rights for particular applications. To allow user access through cloud applications, whether developed by Microsoft or by a third party, identities can also be formed.
SSO is used by Azure AD to link users to SaaS apps. Users can now access the entire set of programs for which they have authorization without having to check in again and again. Access tokens produced by Azure AD are locally stored on staff devices and may have expiration dates. Azure AD can impose a multifactor authentication requirement for significant corporate resources (MFA).
Azure AD compared with Windows AD
Azure AD., in contrast to Windows AD, is intended for web-based services. For online cloud-based apps like Office 365, Azure AD enables services that use REST (Representational State Transfer) APIs.
In contrast to Windows AD, Azure AD uses distinct protocols. Azure AD makes use of SAML and OAuth.2.0 protocols. It doesn't support Kerberos, NTLM, or LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol).
Instead of Group Policy like Windows AD does, Azure AD uses Azure Policy.
Organizational units (OUs) and forests are not used in Azure AD. Its directory structure is flat.
Only Windows 10 supports Azure AD Join, which links to PCs (personal computers).
What services are offered by Azure AD?
Authentication
To access applications and resources, identification verification is necessary. Including capabilities like innovative lockout services, multifactor authentication, a bespoke list of prohibited passwords, and self-service password reset is also part of the definition.
Single sign-on
You can access various applications with SSO by just needing to remember one username and one password. The security paradigm is simpler because each user is associated with a single identity. The effort required to update or delete accounts is significantly reduced because access modifications are related to that identity as individuals change roles or exit an organization.
Application control
Using Azure AD, you can manage both your on-premises and cloud-based apps. Features like Application Proxy deliver an improved user experience, SaaS apps, the My Apps portal (also known as the access panel), and single sign-on.
Device administration
Azure AD provides the registration of devices in addition to accounts for specific individuals. By registering, devices can be handled with programs like Microsoft Intune. Additionally, regardless of the requesting user account, it enables device-based Conditional Access restrictions to limit access attempts to only those coming from known devices.
Azure AD is used by who?
IT professionals
Administrators can utilize Azure AD to manage access to applications and resources based on their organizational needs.
App creators
With the help of Azure AD, developers may add standards-based functionality to the applications they create, such as SSO capability or the ability to use a user's preexisting credentials.
Users
Users have identity management options. Self-service password reset, for instance, enables users to reset or change their passwords without the assistance of an IT administrator or help desk.
Internet service users
Azure AD is already used by customers of Microsoft 365, Microsoft Office 365, Azure, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online.
A renter serves as a representative of a company. A renter often has its own identity and is set apart from other tenants.
Each tenant of Microsoft 365, Office 365, Azure, and Dynamics CRM Online is also an Azure AD tenant by default.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Azure Active Directory resemble Active Directory?
Azure AD performs quite distinct tasks than AD; it is not merely a cloud version of AD. Managing conventional on-premises infrastructure and applications is a strength of AD. User access to cloud applications is superbly controlled by Azure AD.
Azure Active Directory is cost-free?
There are four versions of Azure Active Directory: Free, Office 365 apps, Premium P1, and Premium P2. A membership to a paid online service, such as Azure, Dynamics 365, Intune, or Power Platform, includes access to the Free edition.
Can I utilize Azure AD locally?
If you have a Site-to-Site VPN connection between on-premises and Azure, you can utilize Azure ADDS to manage your on-premises workstations. By default, Azure ADDS and Azure AD users and groups are synchronized. Additionally, you can utilize Azure ADDS to monitor and regulate workstations using GPOs.
What is a hypervisor, and how does it work?
Multiple virtual machines can run simultaneously, all managed by a hypervisor. A hypervisor is a piece of software that connects the actual hardware to the virtual "hardware" of a virtual machine. This is quite similar to how an operating system on a typical computer works: the hypervisor ensures that each VM gets the resources it requires from the actual server in a timely and orderly way, much like a school crossing guard helps many pupils safely cross a busy crossroads.
What distinguishes a domain controller from Active Directory?
Users, network resources, files, and other network objects' information are stored in Active Directory, a directory service. On the other hand, a domain controller is a computer that handles security authentication requests for a Windows Server domain.
Conclusion
This article has gone through Azure Active Directory and its features of it working. It offers identity services that let your users sign in and use both cloud applications created by you and Microsoft as well as cloud applications created by others.
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