Azure Active Directory(Azure AD) Explained

Azure active directory

In this blog, we will learn about Azure Active Directory and how it helps the customer protect the user’s Identity and applications from security threats.

As per Microsoft, Azure Active Directory is a multi-tenant, cloud-based, identity and access management service.

Let’s try to dissect the definition provided by Microsoft.

What is a Multi-Tenant?

Multi-Tenancy

Multi-Tenant is a kind of architectural paradigm that allows different customers to use a dedicated instance of the software that uses the same hardware and storage.

If someone is from a coding background, they can think of it as Class Object Relationship, i.e., we have to define Class (Equivalent to Azure AD properties and functionality defined at one location. ) only once. Still, Users can create different Objects from it. (This is equivalent to a dedicated instance of Azure AD, built from its blueprint ) each object will have a new memory address (Although the exact blueprint creates a new object, it will not share any properties and functionality with other entities. These very things happen when you start Azure AD for yourself ).

What is Cloud-Based?

Under Water Data Center

Everyone says it is a cloud-based solution, but with the recent changes in the Data Center, it should be a water-based solution😁 . The above picture is one of the significant recent changes done by Microsoft, that allows them to deploy the Data Center quickly, and it could also increase the lifetime of Network Connectivity of the solution deployed within these underwater Data Center.

A cloud-Based solution refers to a solution deployed on the data centre of some cloud provider; in our case, it is Microsoft. To learn more about what cloud-based solution provides us, check out my Cloud Computing Blog.

Identity and Access Management (IAM) Service

IAM

The IAM has two parts; one is Identity, and the other is Acess Management.

• The identity part of it plays a significant role in Authentication( i.e. whether the user has been added to the solution or not)
• Access Management parts play a crucial role in Authorization( i.e. who can access what ).

In other words, it helps the software to validate user identity and checks whether users have an appropriate role or not.

Moreover, it also provides the facility to create different policies.

• Regions, locations from which users can access the application.
• Can enforce Multi-Factor Authentication.
• can enable single-sign-on(SSO).
• Facilitates role bases authentication.

There are many other benefits of Azure Active Directory:

• Universal Identity Platform
• Connected Workforce
• Protect and Govern Access
• Integrate Identity in your application

I hope this helps you get a basic understanding of what Azure AD is and how it will be helpful to customers.

I will cover other benefits and leverage them in my future blogs. Till then, stay healthy, be happy and keep learning.

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Thanks for reading. Happy Learning 😊