Top 10 Microsoft Entra Permissions Management Alternatives

Microsoft Intune is a comprehensive cloud-based service that allows you to remotely manage mobile devices and mobile applications without worrying about the security of your organization’s data. Device and app management can be used on company-owned devices as well as personal devices.

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.

Microsoft Sentinel is a scalable, cloud-native, security information event management (SIEM) and security orchestration automated response (SOAR) solution that lets you see and stop threats before they cause harm. Microsoft Sentinel delivers intelligent security analytics and threat intelligence across the enterprise, providing a single solution for alert detection, threat visibility, proactive hunting, and threat response. Eliminate security infrastructure setup and maintenance, and elastically scale to meet your security needs—while reducing IT costs. With Microsoft Sentinel, you can:

Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a comprehensive security solution that provides advanced threat protection for cloud workloads. It offers real-time visibility into the security posture of cloud environments, enabling organizations to quickly identify and respond to potential threats. With its advanced machine learning capabilities, Microsoft Defender for Cloud can detect and block sophisticated attacks, including zero-day exploits and fileless malware.

Microsoft Purview is a unified data governance solution that helps you understand all of your on-premises, multi cloud, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) data and maintain control over its usage. With the Microsoft Purview solution, you can create a detailed, up-to-date map of your data landscape with sensitive data classification, automated data discovery, and end-to-end data lineage. Not only does it enable data curators to easily secure your data, but it also allows data consumers to find valuable, trustworthy data.

Microsoft Defender XDR is a comprehensive security solution that helps organizations manage devices and vendor security compliance. 

Its primary use case includes email filtering, vulnerability management, and detecting threats launched via emails. The solution offers advanced threat-hunting capabilities, integration with other Microsoft products, centralized management, automation features, and comprehensive threat protection. 

It improves visibility, automates routine tasks, and provides threat intelligence and compliance management. Microsoft Defender XDR is praised for its advanced capabilities, ease of use, and integration with other Microsoft products. 

It has proven to be a comprehensive and effective security solution for organizations.

SailPoint is the leader in identity security for the cloud enterprise. We’re committed to protecting businesses from the inherent risk that comes with providing technology access across today’s diverse and remote workforce. Our identity security solutions secure and enable thousands of companies worldwide, giving our customers unmatched visibility into the entirety of their digital workforce, and ensuring that each worker has the right access to do their job, no more, no less. With SailPoint at the foundation of their business, our customers can provision access with confidence, protect business assets at scale and ensure compliance with certainty.

Omada Identity delivers an end-to-end identity and access management solution with essential identity governance functionality for secure, compliant, and efficient administration of all users' access rights across on-premises or cloud-based systems. The solution provides configurable best practice processes that covers all identity and access related scenarios from providing an access risk overview, management of identities lifecycle, to automated enforcement of policies.

Microsoft Defender for Identity is a comprehensive security solution that helps organizations protect their identities and detect potential threats. It leverages advanced analytics and machine learning to provide real-time visibility into user activities, enabling proactive identification of suspicious behavior. 

Saviynt is an intelligent, cloud-first identity governance & access management solution. The solution is designed to help organizations quickly scale cloud initiatives and solve security and compliance challenges. Saviynt offers identity governance, granular application access, cloud security, and privileged access to secure your company’s ecosystem and provide a seamless user experience.