publish enterprise applications in Azure AD

Publishing enterprise applications in Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a critical step for organizations that aim to provide secure, single sign-on (SSO) access to their cloud-based or on-premises applications. By integrating applications with Azure AD, admins can manage user access and permissions centrally, thereby enhancing security and compliance across the organization.

Understanding Application Types in Azure AD

Before publishing applications to Azure AD, it’s important to understand the two main categories of applications:

1. Azure AD Gallery Applications: These are pre-integrated SaaS applications available in the Azure AD application gallery. Microsoft offers thousands of such applications that can be easily added and configured for SSO.
2. Custom or Non-Gallery Applications: Applications developed in-house or those not available in the Azure AD gallery can also be integrated with Azure AD. These may include custom web apps, APIs, or even on-premises applications that use Azure AD Application Proxy for remote access.

Requirements for Publishing Enterprise Applications

To publish an application in Azure AD, certain prerequisites must be met:

• An active Azure AD tenant.
• Appropriate permissions (Global Administrator or Cloud Application Administrator roles) in the Azure portal.
• For SSO, the application should be configured to support SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect, OAuth, or another supported protocol.
• Application Proxy is required for publishing on-premises applications.

Publishing a SaaS Application from the Azure AD Gallery

1. Navigate to the Azure portal and select Azure Active Directory.
2. Go to Enterprise applications and click New application.
3. Search for the desired application from the gallery and select it.
4. Configure the basic SAML SSO settings or use the guided setup, depending on the application’s requirements.
5. Assign users or groups to the application so they can access it.

Example: For an application like Box, you’d search for it in the Azure AD gallery, add it to your tenant, and configure its SSO settings according to the Box-specific tutorial provided by Microsoft.

Publishing a Custom or Non-Gallery Application

1. In the Azure AD Enterprise applications section, click on New application.
2. Select Non-gallery application.
3. Provide a name for the application and add it.
4. Once the application is created, configure SSO by selecting the appropriate protocol (SAML, OAuth, or OpenID Connect) and providing the required details such as the Sign-On URL, Entity ID, and Reply URLs.
5. Set up any additional properties, like provisioning and user attributes, as needed.
6. Assign users or groups to the application.

Publishing an On-Premises Application with Application Proxy

1. Configure an Azure AD Application Proxy on an on-premises server.
2. Register the connector with Azure AD.
3. In the Enterprise applications section, add your on-premises app as a new application.
4. Set up the application with Application Proxy by specifying internal URLs and pre-authentication methods.
5. Apply any additional connector configuration required for this on-premises app.
6. Assign users or groups who need to access the on-premises application.

Example: To publish an internal HR web application, you would install the Application Proxy connector on an on-premises server, then add the HR application in Azure AD as an enterprise application, configuring the on-premises URLs and relying on Application Proxy for secure remote access.

Security Considerations

After publishing applications, it’s essential to continuously manage access and apply security best practices:

• Conditional Access Policies: Define policies to control access to applications based on conditions such as user risk, device state, location, and more.
• Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Require additional verification methods to secure user sign-ins.
• User and Group Management: Regularly review and manage which users and groups have access to each application.
• Access Reviews: Set up periodic access reviews to ensure only the right users maintain access to applications.

Monitoring and Reporting

Leverage Azure AD’s reporting features to monitor application usage and audit sign-ins. This information can help identify any suspicious activities and ensure compliance with organizational policies.

Conclusion

The process of publishing enterprise applications in Azure AD is a streamlined experience that bolsters security and simplifies access management. By following the outlined steps for different application types, organizations can facilitate a secure and productive environment for their end-users, harnessing the capabilities of Azure AD to its full potential.