Streamlining SSO with Azure AD Connect Synchronization

Understanding password hash synchronization:

Password hash synchronization involves storing passwords as a fixed-size string of characters, known as a hash value. It is a one-way process, which means the original data can’t be derived from the hash. When you enter your plaintext password, it is hashed and compared with the stored hash for authentication.This mechanism ensures that your passwords remain confidential and protected.

How does single sign-on (SSO) simplify authentication?

SSO acts as a centralized authentication method. It allows you to gain access to all authorized resources with just a single set of login credentials, removing the need to re-enter new credentials for each application. An Identity Provider (IdP) passes along a token or assertion that contains the user’s identity and authentication status to the requesting service.

Azure AD Connect for unified access across on-premises and cloud:

Azure AD Connect integrates on-premises Active Directory with Azure AD, enabling SSO and synchronization of user accounts, passwords, and group memberships between environments. It supports features like password hash synchronization, pass-through authentication, and SSO for improved compliance. Administrators have complete control over what gets synchronized and can use the monitoring and reporting tools for tracking, issue identification and troubleshooting.

It’s flexible, allowing multi-forest and multi-tenant scenarios, and organizations are able to access cloud resources with existing on-premises credentials.

Azure AD Connect essentially enables hybrid identity management by providing a unified identity and access management solution for organizations looking to integrate cloud technologies. 

The need for synchronization of password hashes for single sign-on:

• You get to access various applications and services with a unified set of credentials, thereby elevating the user experience and improving productivity.
• You get to reduce the risk of security breaches and unauthorized access; password hashes are securely stored and encrypted during transmission.
• You can meet the compliance requirements.
• Organizations can enforce consistent password policies and ensure that the users follow strong password guidelines to meet compliance requirements.

How to use Azure AD Connect to synchronize password hashes for single sign-on:

Pre-requsites:

• Windows PowerShell 3.0
• .Net Framework 4.1

Follow the steps below to synchronize password hashes for single sign-on:

1. Login to your Azure AD portal.
2. Locate and select Azure Active Directory → Azure AD Connect.
3. You see that nothing has been installed in sync status; click on the link that says ‘Download Azure AD Connect’.
4. You will be directed to a Microsoft webpage; click download.
5. Run the setup file on any server joined to your domain or from the active directory itself.
6. To install, double click on the downloaded setup.
7. Choose the Customize option, and click install.
8. User sign-in page will appear; select ‘Password Hash Synchronization’ and ‘Enable single sign-on’.
9. Click next and enter your Global Administrator credentials.
10. Click next and add the Directory you want to synchronize with.
11. Login using your Local Administrator Credentials or any special account that has privileges.
12. Verify the domain name and click next.
13. If you dont plan for any ‘Domain or OU filtering’ then choose the default options.
14. Choose your required optional features if necessary.
15. Click next and ‘Enable single sign-on’.
16. Login using your Global Administrator credentials.
17. Click install.
18. Go back to the Azure Ad Portal to verify the installation.

By following these simple steps for installation and configuration, organizations can utilize the power of Azure AD Connect to optimize their authentication workflows and bolster their overall security measures.