Describe identity governance in Azure AD

Identity governance in Azure AD is an essential component of an organization’s security framework that involves the implementation of policies and rules to ensure that the right users have access to the right resources at the right time, and for the right reasons. This governance is particularly significant as organizations move to the cloud, where identity is the new control plane.

What is Azure AD Identity Governance?

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Identity Governance enables organizations to manage and secure identities and control access within Azure AD, Microsoft 365, and other Azure services. It encompasses several key areas including identity lifecycle management, access lifecycle management, risk-based policies, role-based access control (RBAC), privileged access management, and access reviews.

Core Components of Azure AD Identity Governance

• Identity Lifecycle Management: It manages the full lifecycle of identities within an organization, from the initial creation to the eventual removal of an identity. This includes managing user accounts, automating user onboarding and offboarding, and handling changes in employee roles.
• Access Lifecycle Management: This ensures that users have access to resources they need to perform their jobs but not more. It includes provisioning and deprovisioning of access to applications and services automatically, depending on the user roles or group membership.
• Risk-Based Conditional Access Policies: Azure AD leverages conditional access policies that are dynamically applied based on the risk level associated with a user or an access attempt. This can include user risk policies and sign-in risk policies, that adjust access requirements if an attempt seems unusual or risky.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): RBAC in Azure is a method of restricting system access to authorized users. It is a mechanism to ensure employees have just enough access (JEA), or the minimum necessary access, to perform their jobs.
• Privileged Access Management (PAM): Azure AD PAM helps to control and monitor access within Azure AD, Azure, Office 365, and other Microsoft Online Services by providing just-in-time privileged access with approval workflows.
• Access Reviews: Periodic reviews of user access are a crucial part of identity governance. Azure AD offers functionality to conduct regular access reviews for users and applications to ensure compliance with organizational policies.

Using Azure AD Identity Governance in Practice

Consider a scenario where a new employee joins a company. With identity lifecycle management, their user account is automatically created, and they are assigned to the correct groups based on their role. Access lifecycle management would then ensure they are provisioned access to all the necessary applications and resources.

As the employee interacts with cloud services, risk-based conditional access policies continuously evaluate the risk level of the employee’s actions. For example, if the employee tries to log in from an unusual location, they might be prompted for multi-factor authentication or blocked until their identity can be verified.

Role-based access control would limit what actions the employee could perform based on their role within the organization, preventing them from accessing sensitive data or systems not relevant to their job.

Privileged Access Management protects against risks associated with elevated access by granting just-in-time access when needed, rather than having standing access that could be exploited by attackers.

Finally, with the help of access reviews, the company can regularly ensure that the employee still requires access to all previously granted resources, and revoke any that are no longer necessary, such as when the employee changes roles or leaves the company.

Azure AD identity governance creates a secure, manageable, and compliant environment that streamlines operations and reduces risks. It allows organizations to automate processes, which increases efficiency and reduces the likelihood of human error. Proper identity governance practices are crucial for maintaining the integrity of an organization’s security posture in the ever-evolving digital landscape.