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AWS IAM Identity Center vs Microsoft Entra ID Governance comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 2, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AWS IAM Identity Center
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (9th)
Microsoft Entra ID Governance
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
12th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of AWS IAM Identity Center is 1.3%, down from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID Governance is 2.4%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
AWS IAM Identity Center1.3%
Microsoft Entra ID Governance2.4%
Other96.3%
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

MO
Web developer at King of CMS Consulting
Centralized access control has improved team collaboration but still needs a simpler onboarding
One of the best features AWS IAM Identity Center offers is the permission set, which is one of the best. Then there are the temporary credentials via SSO, the multi-account governance, and the centralized identity management. Those are good features that I believe assist developers, and another feature I can say is one of the best is the improved security with temporary credentials. The feature I find myself relying on the most day-to-day would be the centralized identity management and multi-account governance. It allows me to check what other developers are doing and since I am the admin, I can also revoke the access they have to the AWS accounts.
AmitRathod - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Analyst at Toll Holdings Limited
Automated access governance has strengthened security and supports user-centric approvals
The workflows such as joiner, mover, and leaver work in Microsoft Entra ID Governance. Entitlement Management is a bundle of resources where Microsoft Entra ID applications, groups, and SharePoint sites are packaged into a single package so that users can request it. This is one of the great features for Microsoft Entra ID Governance. Another feature is Access Review, which allows an automated schedule to be managed for the manager or resource owner so that they can verify whether people still need access. Privileged Identity Management is another feature for governance that provides just-in-time (JIT) access for administrative roles. For example, instead of being a permanent or global admin, which is a major security risk, an IT professional is eligible for the role and must request four hours of access only when they need to perform a specific task. There is a feature called access package. If any user wants particular application access, they can request this application via Microsoft Entra ID Governance access package. Whenever an end user makes a request, the access goes to one application manager and their current line manager. If they approve it, then they get the application access. This is a very good feature for user-centric purposes. Microsoft Entra ID Governance includes securing AI agent identity. As a company uses more AI generation such as Copilots or custom bots, those bots need their own identity just as employees do. Microsoft Entra now provides a way to assign unique identities to AI agents so you can control what data they can access. Microsoft Entra ID Governance protection now looks for risky behavior in AI agents. If a bot suddenly tries to download an unusual amount of data or unconscious data, it can detect this as a risk detection factor. Security Copilot allows Entra administrators to manage identity with natural language. Microsoft Entra ID Governance has protection and authentication features. Smart risk detection protects and analyzes to detect threats such as impossible travel. If a person is logging in from many different locations, it detects this as a risk factor. A user cannot use an unauthenticated password or log in from an incompatible device. These AI features are used in conditional access management in Microsoft Entra ID Governance. Automation is used for user onboarding, user offboarding, and user update processes through user lifecycle management. If an organization uses Workday as an HR application where new users join and fill in their details, all these details get reflected into Workday and then reflected into Active Directory as well as Microsoft Entra ID Governance. This automation helps to manage the day-to-day user onboarding process, user offboarding process, and user update process. Microsoft Entra ID Governance automation also helps with password-related tasks, access recertification, and reporting.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The organizational value of AWS IAM Identity Center is definitely significant, as it helps ensure that the least required permissions are given to users, thus preventing unnecessary access and reducing the risk of accidental deletions or changes."
"The features of AWS IAM Identity Center that I appreciate are single sign-on and multi-factor authentication, and we can manage all authentication aspects while integrating it with third-party applications."
"AWS IAM Identity Center offers a secure and centralized way to manage access and permissions."
"The most valuable features of AWS IAM Identity Center are role-based permissions and existing permissions templates."
"I highly recommend AWS IAM Identity Center to new users, especially for storage and deployment services like EC2, which are cost-efficient and scalable."
"We efficiently use AWS to create multiple user privileges and permissions, making it very scalable and supportive of our clients' operations."
"Its valuable features include granular access control, allowing precise control over who can access specific AWS resources and under what conditions using JSON-based policies."
"IAM provides significant benefits when properly deployed."
"The most valuable features are multifactor authentication and account creation for the Exchange environment in Office 365."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Entra ID Governance for identity management is multi-factor authentication."
"The features of Microsoft Entra ID Governance have benefited our organization because we have ServiceNow in our organization and we have been able to create integrations through Lifecycle Management to do onboarding and offboarding easier."
"The product's most valuable features are the robust audit trail capabilities."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Entra ID Governance is access reviews."
"I am very happy with the solution."
"Access reviews are an essential feature of Entra Governance. Additionally, privileged identity management is one of its most valuable features. Just-in-time access, or Jet GIT, is integral to this system. Moreover, user behavior analytics stands out as one of its top features."
"The solution is fully scalable, supporting everything from small companies to large enterprises."
 

Cons

"IAM is challenging to manage in complex environments. Enhancements could include automation tools or a centralized dashboard for managing roles and policies across multiple accounts, simplifying the process."
"In the product, two groups cannot have the same name...In general, the tool does not allow for the duplication of names."
"The AWS Identity Center's user interface could be improved to provide a clearer understanding of how the system operates."
"The configuration with other tools can be hard."
"IAM is challenging to manage in complex environments."
"Sometimes it experiences lag, but there's always room for improvement, which is why I deducted one point."
"I think AWS IAM Identity Center can be improved by making it beginner-friendly. It was very hard for me to navigate initially because the UI was very complicated."
"The initial setup isn't very easy, around four on a scale of one to ten. It permits setting up policies that might not be entirely secure if improperly configured, which can lead to issues later."
"The product's workflow approval process needs improvement."
"One area for improvement in Microsoft Entra ID Governance could be providing more granular control over security policies."
"Sometimes, the solution is not super reliable."
"Microsoft has done a commendable job with RPAX. However, Microsoft should prioritize enhancing its ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control) capabilities. Currently, Microsoft's ABAC offering falls behind AWS in comparison."
"I would rate customer service at three out of ten."
"Microsoft Entra ID Governance is relatively new, and some features require more development. For example, when creating user access review campaigns, we can't specify the time to send emails to reviewers—only the date."
"In terms of integration, improvements could be made."
"If you want to conduct access review of database-based applications, then you cannot do that."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is cheap since it is available on the cloud."
"In the education sector where I work, the annual cost for my Google and Microsoft environments is approximately $35,000. This covers the needs of 3,400 students and 800 faculty and staff members."
"There are no additional costs besides the standard licensing fees."
"The solution's pricing is not low but reasonable."
"While other products give the pricing for their application, Microsoft Entra ID Governance has a per-user-based license model."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Construction Company
11%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business2
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS IAM Identity Center?
AWS provides the lowest pricing among other service providers like Azure, Google, Oracle. It is cost-effective, and they use a pay-as-you-go model.
What needs improvement with AWS IAM Identity Center?
I think AWS IAM Identity Center can be improved by making it beginner-friendly. It was very hard for me to navigate initially because the UI was very complicated. I had to do a lot of research and ...
What is your primary use case for AWS IAM Identity Center?
My main use case for AWS IAM Identity Center is hosting and redirecting web services that I want to use as localhost, but then I have to reroute it. What I did was create a permission set and use i...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Entra ID Governance?
There is one feature that I do not prefer. If a manager approves access for a particular user and wants to change their decision about whether the user should retain access or not, once they approv...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Entra ID Governance?
I use Microsoft Entra ID Governance for identity and access management as well as access recertification. The workflows such as joiner, mover, and leaver work in Microsoft Entra ID Governance. Enti...
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Entra ID Governance?
The best features are Access Review and Entitlement Management. Recertification can be run on-demand as and when any recertification slip occurs. There is also time-based recertification, which we ...
 

Also Known As

AWS Single Sign On, AWS SSO
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS IAM Identity Center vs. Microsoft Entra ID Governance and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.