How to use Azure AD groups to manage role assignments

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a cloud-based identity and access management service that helps organizations manage user access to on-premises and cloud resources. One of the key features of Azure AD is the ability to create and manage groups, which can be used to assign roles and permissions to users within your organization.

In this article, we’ll take a look at how to use Azure AD groups to manage role assignments in Windows Active Directory.

Step 1: Create an Azure AD group

To begin, you’ll need to create an Azure AD group in the Azure portal. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.
2. Navigate to the Azure AD blade.
3. In the left menu, click “Groups.”
4. Click the “New group” button.
5. Select “Security” as the group type.
6. Enter a name and description for the group.
7. Click “Create.”

Step 2: Assign users to the Azure AD group

Once you’ve created the group, you’ll need to assign users to it. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the Azure portal, navigate to the Azure AD blade.
2. Click on the group you just created.
3. Click the “Members” tab.
4. Click the “Add member” button.
5. Select the users you want to add to the group and click “Select.”
6. Click “Assign.”

Step 3: Assign roles to the Azure AD group

Now that you’ve created the group and added users to it, you’ll need to assign roles to the group. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In the Azure portal, navigate to the Azure AD blade.
2. Click on the group you just created.
3. Click the “Directory roles” tab.
4. Click the “Add Directory Role” button.
5. Select the role you want to assign to the group and click “Select.”
6. Click “Assign.”

Step 4: Synchronize the Azure AD group with Windows Active Directory (optional)

If you want to use the Azure AD group to manage role assignments in Windows Active Directory, you’ll need to synchronize the group with your on-premises Active Directory. To do this, you’ll need to use the Azure AD Connect tool.

1. Download and install Azure AD Connect on a server in your on-premises environment.
2. Run the Azure AD Connect Configuration Wizard.
3. Select “Customize synchronization options” and click “Next.”
4. Select the Active Directory domain you want to synchronize with Azure AD and click “Next.”
5. Under “Optional Features,” select “Group writeback.”
6. Follow the prompts to complete the synchronization process.

Step 5: Assign permissions in Windows Active Directory (optional)

Once you’ve synchronized the Azure AD group with your on-premises Active Directory, you can use the group to assign permissions in Windows. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Active Directory Users and Computers console.
2. Navigate to the object you want to grant permissions to (e.g., a folder or file).
3. Right-click the object and select “Properties.”
4. Click the “Security” tab.
5. Click the “Edit” button.
6. Click the “Add” button.
7. Select the Azure AD group and click “OK.”
8. Select the appropriate permissions for the group and click “OK.”