Good identity management is critical to ensuring that the right people have access to business resources, at the right time. Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) offers a comprehensive set of identity governance tools, helping organizations manage, monitor and protect them across multiple systems and environments. By taking advantage of these capabilities, businesses can simplify compliance, reduce security risks, and maintain control over their digital assets. In this article, we are therefore going to delve into the topic of Identity Governance in Entra ID to understand why it is one of the best solutions to strengthen your company's security posture.
Today's world of work is increasingly digitized, fluid and decentralized, which means that an increasing number of devices and users access data and resources in on-premise and multi-cloud/remote environments.
Managing who has access to what is becoming a critical challenge for organizations, especially those operating in highly regulated sectors.
Without strong governance, organizations could face security risks such as users with excessive privileges, lack of visibility into who has access to critical systems, and compliance violations.
Furthermore, the complexity of current cybersecurity ecosystems does not help and can make it difficult to effectively manage user identities and accesses, significantly increasing the risks of granting improper access to data and resources.
This can result in heavy financial penalties in the event of data breaches and a loss of customer trust.
In the constantly evolving landscape of digital security and identity management, it is therefore essential to know the tools and platforms that help protect your organization's assets.
One of these tools is Entra ID Governance, a complete solution designed to optimize and improve identity governance within the ecosystem Microsoft Entra ID.
However, these functionalities (and the very concept of Identity Governance) for many are hazy and not particularly clear matters, so in the next sections we will finally try to clarify the subject a little.
So what does Identity Governance consist of? Its main purpose is to protect, manage and authorize access to software systems, approving access only after the username and password have been validated. Apparently very simple, but there's a lot more to it underneath.
In fact, if you use Entra ID Governance, it allows the following:
There are a few key areas that Entra ID Governance is specifically designed to manage. Let's examine how each of these allows for greater control over identities and their access levels.
Entitlement management offers the ability to create 'access packages' to group together sets of resources that you would normally provide to many users. Resources may include security or Microsoft 365 groups, applications, or SharePoint sites.
Managers can define how to distribute access packages. For example:
This means that entitlements can be grouped into manageable sets, simplifying employee onboarding and reducing the number of “loose threads” resulting from staff transfer or exit processes.
In addition, since March 2024, Microsoft introduced support for multi-stage approval of access packages, allowing more complex approval workflows with multiple levels of verification to be defined.
Over time, the number of members within a group may become excessive, as in the case of a project-based group.
As new users join the project they are added to the group and often, users who leave the project remain in the group, maintaining unnecessary access that can be exploited for potential attacks.
With Entra ID Governance it is possible to carry out a regular access review that evaluates group membership or access to applications on a periodic basis and allows reviewers to:
This process automates the removal of logins if users don't respond to review emails, preventing the uncontrolled expansion of security groups or access to other resources.
Group owners, such as project or application managers, are responsible for reviewing the group's membership and identifying users who should no longer be part of it. These users can be automatically removed from the group.
Access reviews apply to both groups and applications and can be scheduled regularly to ensure continuous governance.
Privileged Identity Management allows you to manage the access rights of privileged users, such as administrators or developers to prevent possible unauthorized use of their accounts and the administrative privileges associated with them.
Just-in-time (JIT) access can be enforced, granting temporary, time-limited access to privileged resources or roles based on a specific request or approval flow.
You can also allow just-enough-access (JEA) policies for these users, limiting the scope and actions of privileged users by applying detailed permissions or restrictions based on their role or task.
PIM capabilities also reduce the potential impact of human error or misconfigurations, requiring accounts to activate their privileged roles when necessary and automatically deactivating them after a specified time or condition. This reduces the exposure of sensitive data and systems to potential threats.
Recently, several new features have been introduced related to the monitoring and management of privileged users:
We have created the Infrastructure & Security team, focused on the Azure cloud, to better respond to the needs of our customers who involve us in technical and strategic decisions. In addition to configuring and managing the tenant, we also take care of:
With Dev4Side, you have a reliable partner that supports you across the entire Microsoft application ecosystem.
One of the distinctive features of Microsoft Entra ID Governance is the implementation of workflows that regulate the lifecycle of digital identities. These workflows are designed to automate tasks based on the joiner-mover-leaver (JML) cycle, a common model in HR and IT departments that categorizes activities for users based on their status within the organization.
This process covers the entire period, from the day the user enters the company to the day he leaves it. The goal of identity lifecycle management is to automate and simplify the entire digital identity management process.
Management, as we mentioned before, is divided into three distinct phases:
The Entra ID Governance workflows allow you to automate the activities related to this cycle, reducing the manual effort required and minimizing the risk of errors or forgetfulness.
These workflows extend into templates that can be quickly customized to meet the needs of users in your organization, offering a flexible and adaptable solution for identity lifecycle management.
Workflows are evaluated every hour (with the possibility of configuring shorter custom intervals) to determine whether or not they should be executed based on the execution conditions.
This ensures that changes in the user's status are promptly reflected in their access rights and other account properties, keeping your organization's identity management up to date and secure.
Microsoft Entra ID offers features such as automatic creation and updating of user accounts, HR-based provisioning, automatic assignment of users to groups, dynamic groups, and the propagation of user updates to various applications through app provisioning.
The provisioning consists in the creation and updating of digital identities on multiple systems to ensure their consistency.
When a new employee joins the company, the HR information is used to create a user account in Azure AD, granting access to the necessary applications. Changes in the HR system are synchronized with Azure AD and other applications.
Entra ID offers features that allow you to automate provisioning operations in three areas:
For the first, the implementation options depend on HR systems and the use of Active Directory.
The provisioning of the applications in Entra ID creates and manages user identities in separate data stores and supports provisioning for local applications and hosted on virtual machines. SCIM-enabled applications can be automated using the SCIM agent provisioning say Entra ID.
Cross-directory provisioning, on the other hand, links:
Provisioning ensures the consistency of digital identities across systems, simplifying access management.
We've done a lot of talk about 'identity' but some may still not know what it consists of or which are those that can be managed through the governance features of Entra ID.
The identity in Entra ID represents the set of credentials, attributes, and permissions assigned to a user, application, or device within a Microsoft environment.
Each identity is unique and allows authentication and authorization to access resources and services, both in the cloud and on-premises.
There are 3 different types of identities that you can implement, depending on the needs of your business and the infrastructure you have available: cloud-only identities, synchronized identities, and federated identities.
Let's see them better below.
All Microsoft 365 user accounts and their passwords are stored, managed, and verified in Entra ID.
Because Entra ID doesn't sync with other business systems, every time a user resets their Microsoft 365 password, it doesn't affect logins to other accounts.
The synchronized identity should be used if you are already using Active Directory for your central list of user accounts or if you want to take advantage of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with Entra ID.
Entra ID Connect synchronize Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) user accounts in Entra ID. This way, users sign in to Microsoft 365 with the same credentials.
This offers a better user experience, but the synchronization only happens one way. User accounts should always be managed in AD DS with tools such as Active Directory admin center or Microsoft PowerShell.
In addition, it is necessary to decide where the authentication takes place:
Federated Identity requires the implementation of Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS). It's best suited for large business organizations with scalable infrastructure and companies with advanced security requirements (such as smart cards, restrictions on working hours, or fingerprint identification).
With federated identity, a partnership or federation is formed between your on-premises Active Directory and Entra ID in the cloud. AD FS automatically synchronizes user accounts and attributes with Entra ID Connect, but the accounts are maintained through Active Directory or a third-party tool.
The user experience improves with federated identity, as users use single sign-on, such as the PTA authentication described above. However, unlike cloud identity, federated identity depends on the environment, so any on-premises issues will affect connectivity with Microsoft 365.
For this reason, both synchronized and federated identities should have a cloud administrator account configured to ensure that Microsoft 365 is always accessible.
Microsoft, for its part, recommends that users limit the use of AD FS only to scenarios that specifically require federation and recommends the use of the Password Hash Syncronization methodology as the preferred solution.
In the previous sections, we have seen the mention of some possible scenarios for applying Identity Governance functionality, but without ever really going into detail.
In this section, we will therefore present a list of the main scenarios in which Entra ID Governance can help us with our digital identity management needs, such as:
Cyber threats have become even more pervasive and harmful for companies than they were in the past and, for any self-respecting business, proper management of digital identities should not be considered as a matter of secondary importance.
The credentials of the users who have access to our data are in fact the first and most vulnerable access point for malicious agents intent on stealing or manipulating them for their purposes. Therefore, it is necessary to make your security posture as effective as possible with the best digital identity management tools that the market offers.
Entra ID Governance, with its advanced features, qualifies as one of the most solid solutions that can be implemented at the moment and guarantees 360-degree protection of the digital identities of its employees, administrators and guest users to prevent and plug potential flaws that may compromise the security of their data.
Entra ID Governance is a Microsoft Entra solution designed for managing and protecting digital identities. Its purpose is to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to business resources, reducing security risks and ensuring regulatory compliance.
Entra ID Governance offers tools to simplify the management of access and identities within an organization. It allows you to create access packages to assign resources in a structured way, carry out periodic access reviews to remove users that are no longer authorized, and manage just-in-time access for privileged users. In addition, it allows you to automate the lifecycle of digital identities through customizable workflows and to manage the creation and updating of accounts on multiple systems and applications.
The adoption of Entra ID Governance makes it possible to apply the principle of least privilege, ensuring that each user has only the necessary permissions to carry out their work. It allows you to automate access reviews, keeping permissions updated without manual intervention. It facilitates centralized identity management, integrating cloud and on-premises environments. It helps to comply with safety regulations thanks to advanced auditing and reporting capabilities. In addition, it reduces the risks of exposure to cyberthreats by limiting access to sensitive data.
Entra ID Governance supports three types of identities. Cloud-only identities are managed entirely in Entra ID without synchronizing with other systems. Synchronized identities allow you to maintain a connection with Active Directory on-premises, allowing users to log in with the same credentials both locally and in the cloud. Federated identities use Active Directory Federation Services to provide an enhanced authentication experience, often used in environments with high security requirements.
Privileged Identity Management allows just-in-time access to be applied, reducing the time a user has administrative privileges. It offers the possibility to define just-enough-access policies, limiting the actions that a privileged user can perform. It introduces mechanisms for automatically deactivating privileged roles after a certain period of time, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Thanks to the integration with Microsoft Defender for Cloud, it also allows you to detect suspicious behavior and anomalies in administrative access.
Entra ID Governance allows you to automatically assign resources to new users thanks to the management of access packages. Employees can receive the necessary permissions based on their role or department, while for external partners and contractors, it is possible to define specific rules to limit the duration and extent of their access. Managing dynamic groups allows you to automatically add or remove users based on their profile attributes.
Entra ID Governance helps companies comply with security regulations through automated access review processes, allowing them to periodically verify that each user has only the permissions that are actually necessary. It offers tools for conducting detailed audits of access and changes to user rights, improving control and traceability. In addition, it provides integrations with advanced security tools to monitor any anomalies and prevent breaches.
Identity lifecycle management in Entra ID Governance is divided into three phases. When a new user joins the company, a digital identity is created with the necessary permissions to carry out their work. If the user changes role, the permissions are updated based on new operational needs. When the user leaves the organization, logins are automatically revoked to avoid potential security risks. These processes can be automated through customizable workflows, reducing the risk of errors and optimizing identity management.
Entra ID Governance is useful in different business scenarios. It can be used to simplify the onboarding of new employees, giving them immediate access to the necessary resources. It is particularly effective for managing partners and contractors, thanks to the possibility of defining temporary and regulated accesses. It supports remote work, allowing users to securely access business applications from anywhere. It can facilitate corporate mergers and acquisitions, simplifying the integration of new employee identities. Finally, it is a key element for digital transformation, accelerating the adoption of cloud services without compromising security.
The absence of an effective Identity Governance system can expose a company to serious security risks. Excessively privileged users can pose a danger, increasing the chances of unauthorized access to sensitive data. Failure to control access can lead to compliance violations, resulting in financial penalties and reputational damage. Ineffective identity management can also create operational difficulties, slowing down employees' work and increasing the risk of human error. Without a centralized system, monitoring and access protection become more complex, leaving the organization vulnerable to cyberthreats.
Entra ID Governance offers complete integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, ensuring secure and efficient digital identity management. Its advanced features make it possible to automate access management, reduce the risk of exposure to sensitive data and simplify compliance with company regulations. The ability to adapt to the specific needs of each organization makes it one of the most reliable solutions for protecting digital identities and improving business security.
The Infra & Security team focuses on the management and evolution of our customers' Microsoft Azure tenants. Besides configuring and managing these tenants, the team is responsible for creating application deployments through DevOps pipelines. It also monitors and manages all security aspects of the tenants and supports Security Operations Centers (SOC).
