Azure Active Directory Privileged Identity Management: A way to secure privileged accounts
It is imperative that organizations take security methods, since in the last few months of 2022, we have seen a rise in cyber-attacks. Sadly, many breaches occurring nowadays is a result of unmanaged and insecure privileged accounts. Most organizations rely on multiple privileged accounts, to be able to work on administrative tasks. Nevertheless, when those privileged credentials become vulnerable for one reason or the other, the whole organization faces a danger that may be fatal. In this article, we will explore the reasons for having a strong and secure management via the implementation of Azure AD Privileged Identity Management.
What are privileged accounts?
These types of accounts are the ones that are granted special rights upon your IT environment, such as access and configurations within a system. For example, you may install or remove apps and software, take or modify data or even upgrade operating systems. Usually, IT admins are granted these types of accounts, as well as M2M (machine-to-machine) or A2A (application-to-application).
Why should privileged accounts be protected?
Privileged access accounts and workstations often attract hackers due to the broad and rapid access they provide to valuable company assets. To ensure the security of these accounts, it is important to block all unauthorized pathways and limit authorized access to a few heavily guarded channels that are closely monitored. Furthermore, poor management of privileged identities can leave an organization’s security perimeter vulnerable to attack. Data breaches can have costly legal implications for organizations. Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) provides a streamlined strategy for authenticating access and preventing unauthorized access identity theft and data compromise. This solution gives IT teams complete control and visibility of their privileged assets, resources, and identities. PIM also provides actionable insights that ensure your organization’s integrity.
What is Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM)?
As organizations increasingly rely on cloud-based services, it’s important to have a robust system in place to manage access to critical resources. Privileged Identity Management (PIM) in Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) provides granular control over who can access what, as well as the ability to monitor activity for compliance purposes. PIM can be used with Azure resources, as well as other Microsoft Online Services such as Microsoft 365 or Intune.
What to expect with Azure AD PIM
- Provide just-in-time privileged access to Azure AD and Azure resources
- Assign time-bound access to resources using start and end dates
- Require approval to activate privileged roles
- Enforce multi-factor authentication to activate any role
- Use justification to understand why users activate
- Get notifications when privileged roles are activated
- Conduct access reviews to ensure users still need roles
- Download audit history for internal or external audit
- Prevents removal of the last active Global Administrator and Privileged Role Administrator role assignments
Azure AD can be complex and difficult to manage on your own. With so many potential security risks, it’s important to make sure your IT environment is as secure as possible. Our team can provide insights and help you secure your organization from possible threats. Contact us today for more information.
