Azure Hybrid Identity

This section provides comprehensive documentation on Azure Hybrid Identity services, enabling seamless and secure identity management across your on-premises and cloud environments.

Overview

Azure Hybrid Identity solutions empower organizations to extend their existing identity infrastructure to Azure, offering a unified approach to authentication, authorization, and single sign-on (SSO). This integration simplifies user management, enhances security posture, and improves the end-user experience.

Key Services and Features

• Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)

  Azure AD is the cloud-based identity and access management service. It offers a rich set of features for managing users, groups, and applications, both in the cloud and on-premises.

  • Azure AD Connect: Synchronize on-premises Active Directory identities with Azure AD.
  • Password Hash Synchronization (PHS): Synchronize a hash of user password hashes from on-premises AD to Azure AD.
  • Pass-through Authentication (PTA): Authenticate users directly against on-premises AD without storing credentials in the cloud.
  • Federation Services (AD FS): Use Active Directory Federation Services for more advanced authentication scenarios.
  • Azure AD Application Proxy: Provide secure remote access to on-premises web applications.

• Azure AD Domain Services

  Provides managed domain services like domain join, Group Policy, LDAP, and Kerberos/NTLM authentication in a way that is compatible with Windows Server Active Directory. Ideal for lift-and-shift applications that require traditional domain services.

• Azure AD B2C (Business-to-Consumer)

  A cloud identity service that provides business-to-consumer identity access management for your web and mobile applications. It handles millions of users and secures your infrastructure, freeing up your development effort.

Getting Started

To begin implementing hybrid identity solutions, you typically need to:

1. Install and configure Azure AD Connect to synchronize your on-premises identities.
2. Choose an authentication method (PHS, PTA, or Federation) based on your security and operational requirements.
3. Explore integrating your applications with Azure AD for single sign-on.

Common Scenarios

• Seamlessly migrate applications to Azure while maintaining existing identity management.
• Provide single sign-on access to cloud and on-premises applications for your users.
• Enhance security with multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conditional access policies.
• Enable secure access for external users or partners to your applications.

Further Reading

• Azure AD Connect Overview
• Authentication Methods in Azure AD
• Azure AD Domain Services Overview