Azure AD Privileged Identity Management

What is Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM)?

In today's complex cloud environments, managing privileged access is paramount to security. Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Privileged Identity Management (PIM) is a service that helps you manage, control, and monitor access to important resources in your organization. It provides just-in-time (JIT) access to resources, reducing the risk of standing privileged access.

PIM allows you to discover, inventory, and govern all your privileged roles across Azure AD and Azure resources. By implementing PIM, you can significantly reduce the attack surface and enhance your overall security posture.

Key Features and Benefits

Azure AD PIM offers a robust set of features designed to streamline and secure your privileged access management:

• Just-In-Time (JIT) Access

  Assign privileged roles that are activated only when needed, for a limited time. This drastically reduces the risk associated with standing administrative privileges.

• Role Eligibility and Activation

  Users can be made eligible for privileged roles and can then activate them when required, going through an approval workflow if necessary.

• Approval Workflows

  Configure custom approval workflows for role activation, ensuring that access requests are reviewed and authorized by the right people.

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Enforcement

  Require MFA for activating privileged roles, adding an extra layer of security to sensitive access.

• Auditing and Reporting

  Gain visibility into who has what access, when they used it, and for how long with comprehensive audit logs and reports.

• Resource Governance

  Extend PIM's capabilities to manage privileged roles for Azure resources, including subscriptions, resource groups, and individual resources.

How PIM Enhances Security

Implementing PIM in Your Environment

Getting started with Azure AD PIM involves a few key steps:

1. Discover and Inventory Privileged Roles: Identify all existing privileged roles and their assignments across your Azure AD and Azure resources.
2. Configure Role Eligibility: Assign users as eligible for roles, rather than directly assigning them.
3. Set Up Activation Policies: Define the duration for role activation, require MFA, and configure approval workflows.
4. Educate Users: Ensure your administrators and users understand how to request and activate privileged roles.

For detailed guidance, refer to the official Azure AD PIM documentation.

Example Scenario: Approving a Temporary Administrator Role

Imagine a scenario where a support engineer needs temporary access to a specific Azure resource group to perform maintenance.

1. The engineer is made eligible for the "Contributor" role on that resource group via PIM.
2. When needed, the engineer requests activation of the role for a specific duration (e.g., 4 hours).
3. The request triggers an approval workflow, sending a notification to the resource owner.
4. The resource owner reviews the request and, if approved, the engineer is granted temporary "Contributor" access.
5. After 4 hours, the access automatically expires, returning the engineer to their previous access level.

This process ensures that access is granted only when necessary and is subject to oversight.

Conclusion

Azure AD Privileged Identity Management is a cornerstone of modern identity and access management. By adopting a JIT approach, organizations can significantly strengthen their security defenses, reduce the risk of privilege abuse, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.

Ready to secure your privileged access? Explore Azure AD PIM today.

Learn More About Azure AD PIM