Azure Active Directory (Azure AD)

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a comprehensive cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) service provided by Microsoft Azure. It serves as a centralized directory that securely stores and manages user identities and their access to various applications and resources.

Azure AD allows organizations to:

1. Authentication and identity management: Azure AD allows you to manage user and group identities, as well as login information, passwords, and authentication policies for accessing applications and resources.

2. Single Sign-On (SSO): Azure AD provides SSO capabilities, which means that a user only needs to enter their credentials once to access multiple applications and services.

3. Access control and permissions: Azure AD offers access control and permission management features for applications and resources. You can define security policies, access roles, and permissions to restrict access to sensitive data and critical resources.

4. Application integration: Azure AD enables the integration of third-party applications into your Azure AD environment, including popular Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications like Office 365, Salesforce, Box, etc. This facilitates centralized identity and access management for these applications.

5. B2B Collaboration: Azure AD allows secure collaboration with external users outside your organization. You can invite business partners or clients to access shared resources while maintaining control over access and permissions.

6. Device management: Azure AD provides device management capabilities to secure and manage devices used to access company resources. This may include features like mobile device management (MDM), Windows device management, and more.