Identity governance in Azure AD

Introduction   

The role of identity governance in enterprise security is becoming increasingly important in the modern digital world. Microsoft Azure AD is a cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution that enables organizations to securely and efficiently manage user identities and access to resources. The Azure AD platform offers several features and capabilities that can help organizations implement identity governance and comply with industry standards.

This article describes how to configure Azure AD for identity governance. Topics covered include creating an Azure AD tenant, configuring Azure AD for identity governance, understanding Azure AD roles and permissions, and managing Azure AD roles and permissions.

If you are interested in Azure Privileged Identity Management, check out this article: Azure Privileged Identity Management (PIM) – An overview

If you are interested in Azure AD Entitlement Management, check out this article: What is Azure AD Entitlement Management

Creating an Azure AD Tenant   

Overview of Azure AD tenants  

An Azure AD tenant is a dedicated instance of Azure AD that is associated with an organization’s domain name. An organization’s identities and resources are separated by a security boundary. An Azure AD tenant manages user identities, access to resources, and authentication for applications.

Steps to create an Azure AD tenant  

To create an Azure AD tenant, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal with your Microsoft account or organizational account.
2. Select Create a resource from the left-hand menu.
3. Search for Azure Active Directory and select it from the search results.
4. Click the Create button.
5. Provide the required information, including the domain name and the initial domain administrator credentials.
6. Review and accept the terms and conditions, and click Create to create the Azure AD tenant.

Best practices for naming conventions and directory structure  

When creating an Azure AD tenant, it is essential to follow naming conventions and establish a directory structure that aligns with your organization’s needs. Here are some best practices to follow:

• Use a unique domain name that is associated with your organization.
• Create a directory structure that aligns with your organizational hierarchy.
• Assign administrative roles to individuals who require them.
• Enable multi-factor authentication for all administrative accounts.
• Use a standard naming convention for users, such as firstname.lastname or firstinitial.lastname.
• Use descriptive names for applications and services to help identify their purpose and function.
• Use Azure AD groups for different departments, projects, or roles, and assign permissions to these groups instead of individual users.

Configuring Azure AD for Identity Governance   

Overview of Azure AD Identity Governance features  

Azure AD offers several identity governance features, including:

• Azure AD Identity Protection: A risk-based identity protection solution that provides automated threat detection and remediation.
• Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM): A solution that allows organizations to manage and monitor privileged access to Azure AD and other resources.
• Azure AD Access Reviews: A feature that enables organizations to review and validate access permissions for users, groups, and applications.

Enabling Identity Governance features in Azure AD  

To enable Azure AD Identity Governance features, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal with your Microsoft account or organizational account.
2. Select Azure Active Directory from the left-hand menu.
3. Click Identity Governance from the Security section.
4. Enable the desired features by selecting the corresponding checkboxes.
5. Configure the settings for each feature as needed.

Impact of enabling Identity Governance features on your Azure AD tenant  

Enabling Azure AD Identity Governance features can have a significant impact on your Azure AD tenant. It is essential to consider the following factors before enabling any of these features:

• Cost: Some Azure AD Identity Governance features require additional licensing and may incur additional costs.
• User Experience: Enabling certain features may impact the user experience of your organization’s employees and partners.
• Administrative overhead: Enabling and configuring Identity Governance features may require additional administrative overhead.

Azure AD Roles and Permissions   

Overview of Azure AD roles and permissions  

Azure AD uses a role-based access control (RBAC) model to control access to resources. RBAC is a security model that defines roles and their associated permissions.

Different types of roles and their permissions  

Azure AD has several built-in roles that allow administrators to assign permissions to users, groups, and applications. Some of the most commonly used roles are:

• Global Administrator: Has access to all administrative features in Azure AD.
• User Administrator: Can create, modify, and delete user accounts and reset passwords.
• Application Administrator: Can create, modify, and delete application registrations.
• Conditional Access Administrator: Can configure policies that control access to Azure AD and other resources.
• Security Reader: Can view security-related data and reports in Azure AD.

Best practices for assigning roles and permissions in Azure AD  

When assigning roles and permissions in Azure AD, it is essential to follow these best practices:

• Use the principle of least privilege: Assign only the necessary permissions to users, groups, and applications.
• Use role assignments to control access: Avoid using direct assignments of permissions to users and groups.
• Regularly review and update role assignments: Remove unnecessary permissions and reassign roles as needed.

Managing Azure AD Roles and Permissions   

How to create custom roles in Azure AD  

In addition to the built-in roles, Azure AD allows administrators to create custom roles. To create a custom role, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal with your Microsoft account or organizational account.
2. Select Azure Active Directory from the left-hand menu.
3. Click Roles and administrators from the Security section.
4. Click New custom role and provide a name and description for the role.
5. Define the permissions associated with the role.
6. Assign the role to users, groups, or applications as needed.

How to assign roles and permissions to users, groups, and applications  

To assign roles and permissions to users, groups, and applications in Azure AD, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal with your Microsoft account or organizational account and select Azure Active Directory from the left-hand menu.
2. Click Roles and administrators from the Security section.
3. Select the role you want to assign and click Assignments.
4. Choose the users, groups, or applications you want to assign the role to.
5. Click Assign to complete the assignment.

Best practices for managing role assignments in Azure AD  

When managing role assignments in Azure AD, it is essential to follow these best practices:

• Use groups to manage role assignments: Assign roles to groups instead of individual users.
• Regularly review role assignments: Review role assignments regularly to ensure they are up to date and necessary.
• Enable audit logging: Enable audit logging to track changes to role assignments.

If you want to get into the best practices for Identity governance much deeper, check out this article: Deep dive into best practices for identity governance in Azure AD 

Conclusion   

The management of user identities and access to resources is a critical component of enterprise security, and Azure AD provides organizations with a robust set of tools. We covered how to create an Azure AD tenant, configure Azure AD for identity governance, and manage Azure AD roles and permissions in this article. A secure and efficient Azure AD identity governance strategy can be achieved by following best practices and regularly reviewing role assignments.