Microsoft Entra ID vs One Identity Active Roles comparison

Microsoft Entra ID, previously known as Azure AD (Active Directory), is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution. Designed to help organizations of all sizes manage user identities and create an intelligent security perimeter around their cloud and on-premise resources. Microsoft Entra ID or Azure AD is integral to the Microsoft 365 and Azure ecosystems. It provides a robust set of capabilities to manage users and groups and secure access to applications in a centralized, streamlined manner.

Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) is a login system, morphing into a sophisticated identity and access management (IAM) solution for the modern, hybrid workplace. Imagine a single vault for all your digital keys – that's the essence of Entra ID's identity management. It acts as a central repository for user identities, encompassing usernames, passwords, and even additional attributes like department or employee role.

These capabilities enabled simplified administration using a unified platform for adding, modifying, and deleting user accounts. Users no longer need to remember login credentials for a plethora of applications. Entra ID streamlines access by using the same identity across various cloud services and on-premises resources (if integrated). Centralized identity management allows for stricter enforcement of security policies and password complexity requirements across the organization.

Authentication sits at the heart of the solution, ensuring only authorized users gain access to sensitive resources. It employs a multi-pronged approach:

• Password Authentication: The traditional method of username and password is still supported, but Entra ID encourages stronger authentication methods.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adding an extra layer of security, MFA requires users to verify their identity beyond just a password – through a code sent to their phone, fingerprint recognition, or a security key.
• Single Sign-On (SSO): This user-friendly feature eliminates the need to enter credentials repeatedly. Users sign in once to Entra ID and gain seamless access to all authorized applications, boosting productivity.
• Conditional Access Policies: Providing granular control over how and when users can access resources. Based on conditions like user role, location, device state, and the application being accessed, Conditional Access policies help ensure that only the right people under the right conditions can access sensitive resources.
• Seamless Integration: Seamless integration with thousands of SaaS applications, Microsoft 365, and on-premises applications via Application Proxy or third-party identity bridges.
• Advanced Security Reports and Alerts: Sophisticated security monitoring, reporting tools, and automated alerts. These features enable to identify potential security issues, such as atypical behavior or attempted identity attacks, allowing for swift remediation actions.

For organizations with on-premises infrastructure, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) offers hybrid identity options. This allows for a smooth integration between on-premises Active Directory and Entra ID, providing a consistent identity for users across both environments. It enables organizations to leverage their existing investments in on-premises infrastructure while taking advantage of cloud scalability and flexibility.

In conclusion, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) is a comprehensive IAM solution that addresses the complex challenges of managing and securing identities in a cloud-centric world. Its blend of ease of use, security, and integration capabilities makes it an essential component of modern IT infrastructure, supporting both operational efficiency and strategic business objectives.

Additional links:

• What is Microsoft Entra ID
• What is conditional Access in Microsoft Entra ID
• What is Microsoft Entra ID Protection

One Identity Active Roles is a highly regarded solution for Active Directory (AD) security and account management. One Identity Active Roles will enhance group, account, and directory management while eradicating the need for manual processes. The end result is a significant increase in the overall speed, efficiency, and security of the organization.

Using One Identity Active Roles, users can:

• Easily increase and strengthen native attributes of Active Directory (AD) and Azure AD.
  
  
• Quickly unify and automate group and account management while protecting and securing critical administrative access.
  
  
• Free up valuable resources to concentrate on other IT tasks, fully confident that your user permissions, critical data, and privileged access are safe and secure.

Managing accounts in AD and Azure AD can be tremendously challenging; continually keeping these important systems safe and secure presents an even greater challenge. Traditional tools can be inefficient, error-prone, and very disjointed. In today’s robust marketplace, organizations are finding it somewhat difficult to keep pace with the constant access changes in a hybrid AD ecosystem. Additionally, there are significant security issues to consider (government compliance, employee status/access changes, and other confidential business requirements). And, of course, there is a requirement to properly manage Active Directory and Azure Active Directory access in addition to managing all the other numerous SaaS and non-Windows applications that organizations use today.

Users can easily automate all of these tedious, mundane administrative tasks, keeping their systems safe and error-free. Active Roles ensures users can perform their job responsibilities more effectively, more efficiently, and with minimal manual intervention. Active Roles was created with a flexible design, so organizations can easily scale to meet your organizational needs, today, tomorrow, and in the foreseeable future.

Reviews from Real Users

A PeerSpot user who is a Network Analyst at a government tells us, “It has eliminated admin tasks that were bogging down our IT department. Before we started using Active Roles, if one of our frontline staff members deleted a user or group, it could take several hours to try to reverse that mistake. Whereas now, the most our frontline staff can do is a deprovision, which just disables everything in the background, but it's still there. We can go in and have it back the way it was two minutes later. Instead of it taking two hours, it only takes two minutes.”

Becky P., Sr Business Analyst at George Washington University, shares, “In addition, with the use of workflows and the scheduled tasks, we were able to automate and centrally manage a number of the processes as well as utilize them to work around other product limitations. Those include, but are not limited to syncing larger groups, which have 50,000 plus members, to Azure AD. We sync up to Azure AD using ARS. If we had not already had ARS in place, it would have been impossible for us to have done so in the time period we did it in. We did it in under six months. ARS probably saves us at least two weeks out of every month. It's reduced our workload by 50 percent, easily.”