Microsoft Entra ID vs Microsoft Purview Information Protection comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Purview Information Protection based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Microsoft Security Suite solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Entra ID vs. Microsoft Purview Information Protection Report (Updated: March 2024).
768,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The solution has some great features, such as identity governance, and user self-service. The Outlook application is very good and is used by a lot of people even if they are using Google services.""The most valuable feature is the ability to deploy and make changes to every workstation that I need to. We use it to control policy and I can apply the right policies to all our 1,500 workstations, notebooks, et cetera.""The user functionality enables us to provide different levels of access, across many applications, for each user. We can customize the access level and set a security level in connection with that access. For instance, we can require MFA. That is a feature that helps enhance our security posture a lot.""The most beneficial feature would be the effectiveness of having a hybrid set-up.""The features around permissions are excellent.""Azure Active Directory has useful policy assigning and management.""It can be used to grant access at a granular level. It provides secure access and many ways to offer security to your user resources. It provides a good level of security for any access on Azure. It gives you options like multi-factor authentication where apart from your password, you can use other factors for authentication, such as a code is sent to your phone or the authenticator app that you can use login.""Single sign-on provides flexibility and helps because users don't want to remember so many passwords when logging in. It's a major feature. Once you log in, you have access to all the applications. It also enables us to provide backend access controls to our users, especially when it comes to groups, as we are trying to normalize things."

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"The UI is user-friendly, and I have observed that it improves further each year.""Before using it, we had a lot of unlabeled data, and the tool helped us quickly and accurately label a large number of documents.""Incorporating data loss prevention capabilities built into the Microsoft platform to endpoints, such as Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers, can also help prevent data loss and is highly advantageous.""It ensures that sensitive data is automatically safeguarded, even for email attachments, regardless of the user or device.""We can restrict access or specify who can see sensitivity labels, which can be based on the classification level. We can encrypt restricted content and limit who can see that from an internal view, too, so Purview is a powerful tool."

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Cons
"If your organization requires additional security then the subscription will be more expensive.""When it comes to identity governance, the governance features in Azure AD are very focused on Microsoft products. I would like to see those governance and life cycle management features offered for non-Microsoft products connected to Azure AD.""The visibility in the GUI is not good for management. There are a lot of improvements that could make it better. It should be more user-friendly overall. It is not user-friendly because everything keeps changing on the platform. I can understand it because I know the platform, am familiar with it, and use it every day. However, for a lot of clients, they don't use it every day or are not familiar with it, so it should be more user friendly.""The product takes at least ten minutes to activate privilege identity management roles.""We have a custom solution now running to tie all those Azure ADs together. We use the B2B functionality for that. Improvements are already on the roadmap for Azure AD in that area. I think they will make it easier to work together between two different tenants in Azure AD, because normally one tenant is a security boundary. For example, company one has a tenant and company two has a tenant, and then you can do B2B collaboration between those, but it is still quite limited. For our use case, it is enough currently. However, if we want to extend the collaboration even further, then we need an easier way to collaborate between two tenants, but I think that is already on the roadmap of Azure AD anyway.""Allowing for more customization would be very useful. There is a limited metadata capability. When you look at a user, there are only six pieces of information you can see, but organizations are way more complex, so having that metadata available and being able to use that for dynamic user groups and other policies would be very helpful.""I think the documentation and configuration are both areas that need improvement.""Whatever business requirements we needed in the past three years, users were created, with the name of the user and they were not connected with the Active Directory. We were trying to in house in three years and with directory, but we were not able to achieve it."

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"Our primary concern is third-party application visibility. Many people choose other DLP tools, as they can search the Office 365 suite and detect sensitive information across thousands of other apps. The product is weak compared to the competitors on the DLP front, but the classification is good; the tool needs a bit more maturation.""There is room for improvement with the policy tips feature.""There is potential for more integration in the use of AI.""Microsoft can improve the affordability of Purview Information Protection by offering it at a lower cost.""Microsoft Purview Information Protection can improve in terms of scan concurrency and scan processing time."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The licensing cost is a bit prohibitive."
  • "The licensing is really not clear unless you are a premium client."
  • "Licensing is easy."
  • "It is a really nice tool and we have a license for the more complex model."
  • "It is not too expensive."
  • "It's really affordable."
  • "I do not have experience with pricing."
  • "Licensing fees are paid on a monthly basis and the cost depends on the number of users."
  • More Microsoft Entra ID Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The product is affordable, and our clients agree. Sensitivity labels come with the MIP license at an additional $2 a month per user, an excellent deal for auto-labeling capabilities."
  • "The price is determined by the enterprise licensing, either the E3 or E5 licensing or the EMS plus security and other feature licensing."
  • More Microsoft Purview Information Protection Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier Duo Security is easy to configure and… more »
    Top Answer:It is very simple. The Active Directory functions are very easy for us. Its integration with anything is very easy. We can easily do third-party multifactor authentication.
    Top Answer:It ensures that sensitive data is automatically safeguarded, even for email attachments, regardless of the user or device.
    Top Answer:The pricing and licensing for the product are quite expensive. Some advanced features are included in the E5 licensing, and it might be beneficial to see some of those features integrated into E3 to… more »
    Top Answer:Microsoft Purview Information Protection can improve in terms of scan concurrency and scan processing time. Currently, the default limit for scans is a bit restrictive, and reducing the time it takes… more »
    Ranking
    4th
    Views
    4,075
    Comparisons
    2,823
    Reviews
    90
    Average Words per Review
    878
    Rating
    8.7
    21st
    Views
    1,060
    Comparisons
    792
    Reviews
    5
    Average Words per Review
    1,307
    Rating
    7.8
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Azure AD, Azure Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Authenticator
    Microsoft Information Protection
    Learn More
    Interactive Demo
    Overview

    Microsoft Entra ID, previously known as Azure AD (Active Directory), is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution. Designed to help organizations of all sizes manage user identities and create an intelligent security perimeter around their cloud and on-premise resources. Microsoft Entra ID or Azure AD is integral to the Microsoft 365 and Azure ecosystems. It provides a robust set of capabilities to manage users and groups and secure access to applications in a centralized, streamlined manner.

    Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) is a login system, morphing into a sophisticated identity and access management (IAM) solution for the modern, hybrid workplace. Imagine a single vault for all your digital keys – that's the essence of Entra ID's identity management. It acts as a central repository for user identities, encompassing usernames, passwords, and even additional attributes like department or employee role.

    These capabilities enabled simplified administration using a unified platform for adding, modifying, and deleting user accounts. Users no longer need to remember login credentials for a plethora of applications. Entra ID streamlines access by using the same identity across various cloud services and on-premises resources (if integrated). Centralized identity management allows for stricter enforcement of security policies and password complexity requirements across the organization.

    Authentication sits at the heart of the solution, ensuring only authorized users gain access to sensitive resources. It employs a multi-pronged approach:

    • Password Authentication: The traditional method of username and password is still supported, but Entra ID encourages stronger authentication methods.
    • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adding an extra layer of security, MFA requires users to verify their identity beyond just a password – through a code sent to their phone, fingerprint recognition, or a security key.
    • Single Sign-On (SSO): This user-friendly feature eliminates the need to enter credentials repeatedly. Users sign in once to Entra ID and gain seamless access to all authorized applications, boosting productivity.
    • Conditional Access Policies: Providing granular control over how and when users can access resources. Based on conditions like user role, location, device state, and the application being accessed, Conditional Access policies help ensure that only the right people under the right conditions can access sensitive resources.
    • Seamless Integration: Seamless integration with thousands of SaaS applications, Microsoft 365, and on-premises applications via Application Proxy or third-party identity bridges.
    • Advanced Security Reports and Alerts: Sophisticated security monitoring, reporting tools, and automated alerts. These features enable to identify potential security issues, such as atypical behavior or attempted identity attacks, allowing for swift remediation actions.

    For organizations with on-premises infrastructure, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) offers hybrid identity options. This allows for a smooth integration between on-premises Active Directory and Entra ID, providing a consistent identity for users across both environments. It enables organizations to leverage their existing investments in on-premises infrastructure while taking advantage of cloud scalability and flexibility.

    In conclusion, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) is a comprehensive IAM solution that addresses the complex challenges of managing and securing identities in a cloud-centric world. Its blend of ease of use, security, and integration capabilities makes it an essential component of modern IT infrastructure, supporting both operational efficiency and strategic business objectives.

    Additional links:

        Implement Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) to help you discover, classify, and protect sensitive information wherever it lives or travels.

        MIP capabilities are included with Microsoft 365 Compliance and give you the tools to know your data, protect your data, and prevent data loss.

        To learn more about our solution, ask questions, and share feedback, join our Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity Community.

        Sample Customers
        Microsoft Entre ID is trusted by companies of all sizes and industries including Walmart, Zscaler, Uniper, Amtrak, monday.com, and more.
        Information Not Available
        Top Industries
        REVIEWERS
        Financial Services Firm14%
        Computer Software Company14%
        Educational Organization5%
        Healthcare Company5%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Educational Organization26%
        Computer Software Company12%
        Financial Services Firm9%
        Government6%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Financial Services Firm18%
        Computer Software Company15%
        Government7%
        Insurance Company6%
        Company Size
        REVIEWERS
        Small Business33%
        Midsize Enterprise14%
        Large Enterprise53%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Small Business18%
        Midsize Enterprise34%
        Large Enterprise48%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Small Business19%
        Midsize Enterprise14%
        Large Enterprise67%
        Buyer's Guide
        Microsoft Entra ID vs. Microsoft Purview Information Protection
        March 2024
        Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Entra ID vs. Microsoft Purview Information Protection and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
        768,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

        Microsoft Entra ID is ranked 4th in Microsoft Security Suite with 190 reviews while Microsoft Purview Information Protection is ranked 21st in Microsoft Security Suite with 5 reviews. Microsoft Entra ID is rated 8.6, while Microsoft Purview Information Protection is rated 7.8. The top reviewer of Microsoft Entra ID writes "Allows users to authenticate from home and has excellent integrations in a simple, stable solution". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft Purview Information Protection writes "Provides protection across multiple environments, can classify data and represent it graphically, and has the option for customer-managed teams to encrypt and manage data". Microsoft Entra ID is most compared with Microsoft Intune, Google Cloud Identity, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, Yubico YubiKey and Cisco Duo, whereas Microsoft Purview Information Protection is most compared with Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Defender XDR, Varonis Platform, Informatica Axon and Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention. See our Microsoft Entra ID vs. Microsoft Purview Information Protection report.

        See our list of best Microsoft Security Suite vendors.

        We monitor all Microsoft Security Suite reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.