Microsoft Entra ID

Score8.7 out of 10

446 Reviews and Ratings

What is Microsoft Entra ID?

Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Microsoft Azure Active Directory or Azure AD) is a cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution supporting restricted access to applications with Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) built-in, single sign-on (SSO), B2B collaboration controls, self-service password, and integration with Microsoft productivity and cloud storage (Office 365, OneDrive, etc) as well as 3rd party services.

Categories & Use Cases

Multi-Factor Authentication
Using multiple, independent components to gain access
Category average: 8.5
ID Management Single-Sign On (SSO)
The ability to login to the system once, gaining access to all systems without the need for logging in again
Category average: 9
ID-Management Access Control
Authorization or restriction of access to information depending on role
Category average: 8.8

Password Management
Self-help capabilities the help users recover forgotten passwords, etc.
Category average: 8.6
ID Risk Management
Identification, evaluation, and prioritization of risks with procedures to minimize, impacts of unplanned consequences
Category average: 8.3
ID Management Workflow Automation
Automated sequence of tasks to simplify processes
Category average: 8

Cody Raper

Director of Innovation and Technology in Information Technology at Cleveland City Schools (501-1000 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Microsoft Entra ID is the backbone of our infrastructure. It has largely replaced on-premise AD and allows for identity management, authentication, and authorization across both local and cloud providers. Having one source of truth that allows for anywhere authentication and authorization has revolutionized the game for us while providing high levels of trust via 2FA.

Pros

Ease of Use
Ubiquitous Acceptance
Reliability
Compatibility

Cons

Access Sprawl
Tenant-to-Tenant Operations
Passwordless Rollout

Return on Investment

Fewer IT Helpdesk Tickets
Compliance Audits
License Complexities

Alternatives Considered

Google Cloud Identity and Okta

Other Software Used

Google Cloud Identity, Google Workspace for Education, Canvas, Palo Alto Networks Advanced Threat Prevention, SentinelOne Purple AI, ChatGPT

Egros Gatana

IT Assistant in Information Technology at XYLEO (11-50 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use this Microsoft security solution to ensure we protect identities and while at the same time keep apps and business data secure. It is a great IAM tool that leverages on MFA and SSO to ensure secure and fast access to business data/services/applications. In addition, it works in different environments (remote and hybrid work) and it ensures compliance besides centralizing control and also audit trails.

Pros

MFA features works well and is very first.
SSO ensures fast access to multiple apps.
It ensures identity protection.
I like the centralized control.
Helps stay compliant.

Cons

Configuration is not always easy.

Return on Investment

It ensures fast access to business data/apps/services.
It protects identities.
Works well whether remotely or hybrid work environment .

Other Software Used

Barracuda Email Protection, ESET PROTECT

Devin Jones

IT Director in Information Technology at Sanderson Automotive Group (201-500 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our primary usage, we use it kind of as a replacement for an on-prem active directory server. It uses and maintains all of our user multifactor authentication, endpoint access, and it integrates with our email Microsoft Teams, so we use it for the full Microsoft 365 stack and the integrations that Entra ID gives us is super valuable. I mean, everybody uses it, loves it.

Pros

It's a great replacement for an active directory server. That's been our primary use case and it's been perfect for that.

Cons

My biggest gripe I have with it is definitely going to be the Entra ID portal, especially the latest update that done to it. The way that the categorizations work for user management with Entra ID has just been a nightmare to manage and definitely revert. That would be my biggest update.

Return on Investment

It's definitely been a net positive overall. Being able to incorporate the licensing within our Office 365 scope, it saved us a ton of money. When we were using Okta before was an additional expense on top of our existing Microsoft 365 expenses, so being able to eliminate that has been great.

Alternatives Considered

Okta

David Wallman

Architect at Apple (10,001+ employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We primary use Microsoft Entra ID for Centralize Identity Management and SSO.

Pros

Seamless access to Microsoft 365 and Azure Services and others
Extensive Integration with our SaaS Applications like Slack, CRM, travel
Support for Various SSO Protocol services like SAML, OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0
Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for Just-in-Time Access for Azure admins when needed

Cons

Complexity and steep learning curve
it works well with HTTPS traffic but it is difficult to integrate with proprietary protocols and tools or legacy authentication services
It need simpler Licensing and Pricing model

Return on Investment

Vendor and tools consolidation is good for TCO and simplify things
Better productivity by users seamless access to SaaS apps
Simplified access for developers, DevOps , and admins

Alternatives Considered

Okta and AWS IAM Identity Center

Other Software Used

GitHub Copilot, GitHub, Google Gemini, ChromeOS, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, macOS, CentOS Linux

Kyle Bergeron

IT Manager in Information Technology at Sciperio, Inc. (11-50 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Entra ID (Formerly Azure ID) to enable SSO (Single Sign on) internally (Keeper, Bamboo HR, etc) and to also enable domain password resets via the web to facilitate easier access after hours and on weekends.

Pros

SSO (Single Sign On)
Password reset integration with LDAP
Ability to access anywhere in the world

Cons

The interface is a little clunky
It is NOT always intuitive, almost needs and engineer to work

Return on Investment

Single Sign On has allowed us to seamlessly integrate other applications into our Microsoft Sign on.
Outside of normal business hours password resets have saved me from getting up at 1AM to reset a password
Entra requires me to engage with a Specialized Engineer at times to understand in order to work with business needs, incurring extra costs.

Other Software Used

Navisite Productivity and Collaboration (Microsoft Office 365 and MDM), BambooHR®, SOLIDWORKS, Sourcetree, Google Workspace

JumpCloud

Microsoft Entra ID

What is Microsoft Entra ID?

Categories & Use Cases

Key Features

Top Performing Features

Multi-Factor Authentication

ID Management Single-Sign On (SSO)

ID-Management Access Control

Areas for Improvement

Password Management

ID Risk Management

ID Management Workflow Automation

Reviews

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