6 Reasons to Use Azure Active Directory

Azure Active Directory, commonly known as Azure AD, is “Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service.¹” It is a widely used IDaaS (identity and access management-as-a-service) that can integrate with an existing (or new) MVC-style web application, Web API, mobile app, and more to provide quick and easy authentication. I am no salesman (although it may sound like it), but Azure AD can help improve your platform’s security, usability, and more. Here are 6 reasons to use Azure Active Directory to secure your platform:

1. Large Number of Identity Providers
   Azure AD allows for the use of many identity providers to sign in. Some examples include Facebook, Google, GitHub, and of course Microsoft. Your users will appreciate how easy it is to sign into your application(s).
2. Single Sign-on (SSO)
   Azure AD offers the benefit of Single Sign-on, which is an authentication and session management service that allows a user to login on one application and remain authenticated in other applications. This allows for the ease of both user- and service-management. If you want to add or remove a user or service, Azure AD makes this easy.
3. Ease of Mind
   Microsoft follows strong security principles and allows administrators to defend against users based on location, device, and more. It also provides additional features like multifactor authentication and privileged identity management.
4. Application Flexibility
   Azure AD can be integrated into a myriad of application types, including .NET (duh), Java, Python, Android, iOS, Ruby, and more! See more here.
5. Quick Implementation
   As someone who has implemented Active Directory in the past, I can testify that it is relatively quick and painless. There are countless guides for integrating your Azure AD into all different kinds of applications, including my own (integrating Active Directory into your .NET Core Web API).
6. Scalable
   Azure AD reduces your IT team’s workload by automatically dealing with password resets, application management, and more. This means you don’t need to hire more support staff as your user base grows.

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Additional Reading

1. Azure Active Directory Website
2. Azure Active Directory Datasheet

Citations

1. What is Azure Active Directory