Manage Azure AD users

Azure AD allows for the management of user identities and provides the necessary access to various resources within your Azure environment. As an administrator, you can add and configure user accounts, assign roles to users, enable multi-factor authentication, set conditional access policies, and monitor user activities.

Adding and Removing Users

To get started with managing users, you’ll first need to add them to Azure AD. You can add users manually, in bulk, or through synchronization from an on-premises directory using Azure AD Connect.

• Manual Addition: Add users individually via the Azure portal by providing basic information like name, username, and profile information.
• Bulk Addition: Use a CSV file to import multiple users at once, which is useful for onboarding many users simultaneously.
• Directory Synchronization: For organizations with existing on-premises directories, Azure AD Connect syncs user accounts, making them available in both environments.

Assigning Roles and Licenses

Once users are added, you can assign roles to them to control what they can and cannot do within Azure AD. The roles range from user to global administrator, with several pre-defined roles in between like user administrator, password administrator, and compliance administrator.

• User: Basic role assigned to new users by default.
• Global Administrator: Has access to all administrative features in Azure AD.
• User Administrator: Can create and manage users, and reset user passwords.

Additionally, you’ll need to allocate licenses to users for them to use Azure or Office 365 services. This is done directly in the Azure portal under the “Licenses” section of Azure AD.

Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

One crucial aspect of managing Azure AD users is securing accounts with multi-factor authentication. This adds a layer of security by requiring a second form of verification beyond the password.

• Azure AD Free: Enable MFA via conditional access policies.
• Azure AD Premium: Benefit from more granular control over when and how MFA prompts appear.

To enable MFA:

1. Go to the Azure portal.
2. Navigate to Azure AD.
3. Select ‘Users’, then ‘Multi-Factor Authentication’.

Conditional Access Policies

Conditional access policies provide additional security by defining conditions for accessing Azure services. This can include:

• User or group membership.
• IP location information.
• Device status.
• Sign-in risk, as determined by Azure AD Identity Protection.

An example policy might block sign-ins from certain locations or require MFA when accessing sensitive applications.

Monitoring and Reporting

Monitoring user activities is critical for security and compliance. Azure AD provides comprehensive reporting features that let you track sign-ins, changes to user accounts, and security-related events. You can set up alerts to notify you of suspicious activities.

To view reports:

1. Go to the Azure portal.
2. Navigate to Azure AD.
3. Select ‘Sign-ins’ or the relevant report under the ‘Monitoring’ section.

Table: Key Azure AD Management Features

By mastering these user management tasks in Azure AD, you will have the fundamental knowledge to secure and administer your Azure environment, a key aspect of the AZ-500 Microsoft Azure Security Technologies exam. Additionally, leverage the rich set of tools and features that Azure AD offers to further refine and automate these processes for a robust security posture.