Manage external user accounts in Azure AD

External identities in Azure AD refer to user accounts that belong to individuals outside of your organization. These external users can be collaborators from other Azure AD organizations (B2B) or users with Microsoft Accounts (MSA), Google IDs, or other identity providers configured through Azure AD B2C.

Inviting and Adding External Users

1. Azure Portal: Admins can invite users directly via the Azure portal. You navigate to ‘Azure Active Directory’ > ‘Users’ > ‘New guest user’.
2. PowerShell: This can also be done using PowerShell cmdlets, such as New-AzureADMSInvitation.
3. Email Invitation: Upon invitation, external users receive an email with a link to accept the invitation.
4. Direct Add: Alternatively, you can directly add external users if they are from another Azure AD organization with a trusted relationship.

Governing External Access

• Conditional Access Policies: Apply conditional access policies to guest users to enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) or other condition-based access requirements.
• Access Reviews: Conduct access reviews periodically to ensure that external users still require access to your organization’s resources.
• Entitlement Management: Use Azure AD’s entitlement management to manage access packages that provision access for external users to specific groups, applications, and SharePoint sites.

Managing User Roles and Permissions

– Assign roles and access permissions to external users based on the principle of least privilege, ensuring they have the minimum level of access needed to perform their duties.

– Leverage built-in roles such as ‘Guest inviter’ to allow certain employees to invite external users without granting full administrative privileges.

Monitoring External User Activity

• Audit Logs: Regularly audit external user sign-ins and access to resources using Azure AD’s sign-in and audit logs to monitor user activity.
• Compliance Reports: Generate compliance reports to ensure external access aligns with regulatory and organizational security policies.

Example: Inviting an External User

Invitation Process via Azure Portal:

• Sign into the Azure portal as an administrator.
• Navigate to ‘Azure Active Directory’ > ‘Users’.
• Click ‘New guest user’.
• Provide the email address of the external user.
• Customize the invitation message if necessary.
• Click ‘Invite’.

Policies for Collaboration with External Users

It’s essential to have set policies for collaborating with external users:

• Establish clear guidelines on who can invite external users.
• Define what types of data and resources external users can access.
• Determine the lifecycle of external user accounts, including expiration of access.

Example: Conditional Access Policy for MFA

Policy Application for Guest Users:

• Go to ‘Azure Active Directory’ > ‘Security’ > ‘Conditional Access’.
• Create a new policy and name it (e.g., ‘MFA for Guest Users’).
• Under ‘Assignments’, select ‘Users and groups’ and include guest users.
• Under ‘Cloud apps or actions’, select the apps this policy will apply to.
• Under ‘Access controls’, select ‘Grant’ and then ‘Require multi-factor authentication’.
• Enable the policy and save.

Table: External User Permissions Comparison

Conclusion

Managing external user accounts in Azure AD is crucial to maintaining organizational security. By effectively inviting, governing, and monitoring external users, organizations can ensure that their collaborations are secure and efficient. Implementing best practices, such as conditional access policies and access reviews, is necessary to handle external identities in a manner that protects the organization’s data while facilitating productivity. Exam SC-300 candidates must be familiar with these concepts and know how to apply them in Azure AD for comprehensive identity and access management.