Microsoft Entra External ID, part of Microsoft Entra, provides highly secure digital experiences for partners, customers, citizens, patients, or any users outside your organization with customization controls. Combine external identities and user directories in one portal to seamlessly manage access across the organization.
Microsoft Entra External ID refers to all the ways you can securely interact with users outside of your organization. If you want to collaborate with partners, distributors, suppliers, or vendors, you can share your resources and define how your internal users can access external organizations. If you're a developer creating consumer-facing apps, you can manage your customers' identity experiences.
With External ID, external users can "bring their own identities." Whether they have a corporate or government-issued digital identity, or an unmanaged social identity like Google or Facebook, they can use their own credentials to sign in. The external user’s identity provider manages their identity, and you manage access to your apps with Entra ID or Entra External ID to keep your resources protected.
The following capabilities make up External ID:
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B2B collaboration - Collaborate with external users by letting them use their preferred identity to sign in to your Microsoft applications or other enterprise applications (SaaS apps, custom-developed apps, etc.). B2B collaboration users are represented in your directory, typically as guest users.
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B2B direct connect - Establish a mutual, two-way trust with another Azure AD organization for seamless collaboration. B2B direct connect currently supports Teams shared channels, enabling external users to access your resources from within their home instances of Teams. B2B direct connect users aren't represented in your directory, but they're visible from within the Teams shared channel and can be monitored in Teams admin center reports.
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Azure AD B2C - Publish modern SaaS apps or custom-developed apps (excluding Microsoft apps) to consumers and customers, while using Azure AD B2C for identity and access management.
Microsoft Entra ID Governance empowers organizations with advanced identity management, security enforcement, and seamless access management across environments, offering robust multi-factor authentication and audit capabilities.
Microsoft Entra ID Governance provides comprehensive identity and security management through features like single sign-on and privileged identity management. It enhances user management with user behavior analytics, entitlement management, and access reviews while integrating on-premises solutions with cloud services like Office 365. By ensuring secure access and resource protection within Azure, organizations manage access, automate user access rules, and govern external identities effectively.
What features make Microsoft Entra ID Governance stand out?
- Audit Trail Capabilities: Thorough tracking for security compliance.
- Multi-Factor Authentication: Enhanced protection across platforms.
- Single Sign-On: Efficient management across different systems.
- Privileged Identity Management: Control just-in-time access with analytics.
- Entitlement Management: Automate guest account management.
What benefits should users look for in reviews of Microsoft Entra ID Governance?
- Enhanced Security: Strong authentication and auditing for secure environments.
- Efficient User Management: Streamlined access processes through SSO.
- Unified Identity Solutions: Integration with cloud and on-premises platforms.
- Automated Access Rules: Reduced manual oversight with automation.
Financial services utilize Microsoft Entra ID Governance to protect sensitive data while automating user access rules and managing compliance. In education, it facilitates user account management and access provisioning for students and faculty, ensuring secure collaboration through Exchange and Teams.
