Even after decades of innovation in technology, the most basic measure of data security for users – known as passwords – remains essentially the same. With information workers today using dozens of applications on a daily basis, the problem of remembering and managing passwords has not only become a hassle, but also a continued source of security vulnerabilities.
Passwords taped to cubicle walls or monitors is not a very uncommon sight to see in many companies. Even the use of such lo-tech password management tools has not prevented an increase in the number of password reset support requests, thereby increasing the per user IT costs.
With an ever-increasing rate of cloud adoption, managing workers who leave the company requires an increasing number of manual management tasks that are necessary to secure corporate information and prevent access by those who are no longer part of the organization. Without a central way to monitor and disable access, such tasks aren’t generally handled in a timely manner. This leads to unauthorized users having access to an organization’s data long after they are gone.
To curb all such problems, the solution is single sign-on (SSO) deployed in conjunction with a capable directory management system. Such a solution provides a single source for identifying and managing active workers, while having such workers remember only one password that allows them access to all required applications and systems.
Microsoft’s Azure Active Directory provides an excellent SSO solution. It can be seamlessly integrated with on-premise Active Directory, which most organizations use today anyway in order to allow sign-in access for their users. In cases where companies do not have an on-premise AD or do not require one, Azure AD can be deployed as a pure cloud-based solution. For IT professionals, the administrative and management features of Azure Active Directory are straightforward and make it easy to complete daily management and administrative tasks. There is also an option for providing end users with self-service password management. In addition, this solution can support MFA (Multifactor Authentication) for organizations seeking a higher level of security.
From the perspective of end users, one of the most attractive benefits is that they can launch applications from a broad range of devices, including those based on Windows, iOS, Android, and Mac OS X. Users are provided with their own personalized web-based control panel enabling them to a range of applications. Azure AD also provides access to cloud-based applications, so users can seamlessly get to all their approved applications from a single screen with just one password to remember.
With prices for Azure AD Premium starting at only $6 per user per month, it definitely is a no-brainier for organizations that value the security of their applications and data, need to contain IT costs, and appreciate productivity boosts realized by such a fundamental IT solution.