Introduction
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management solution. It serves as a central repository for storing user accounts, authentication methods, and access policies. Azure AD provides secure authentication and authorization for cloud resources and applications, enabling organizations to effectively manage user identities and access to resources in the cloud.
Prerequisites for setting up Azure AD
Hardware requirements:
Server: Azure AD can be set up on any standard Windows server, with a minimum of 4 cores and 16GB RAM. For larger organizations, it is recommended to have at least 8 cores and 32GB RAM.
Storage: The server should have a minimum of 200GB storage available for Azure AD installation and other related data.
Network: A stable internet connection is required, with a minimum bandwidth of 10 Mbps for optimal performance.
Domain Controller: If Azure AD is integrated with an on-premises Active Directory, the server should also have a domain controller role installed.
Firewall: Ensure that the server’s firewall allows inbound and outbound traffic on ports 80, 443, and 53.
Software requirements:
Operating system: Windows Server 2012 or later is required for Azure AD installation.
.NET Framework: The server should have .NET Framework 4.5 or later installed.
DNS server: A DNS server is required for resolving domain names within the network.
Virtualization software: If the server is a virtual machine, it should have a hypervisor installed, such as Hyper-V or VMware.
Azure AD Connect: This is the tool used to synchronize on-premises Active Directory with Azure AD. It can be downloaded from the Azure portal.
Domain and network configurations:
Domain name: A registered domain name is required for setting up Azure AD. This will serve as the primary domain for user login and email addresses.
DNS records: The required DNS records, such as MX, TXT, and CNAME, need to be configured in the domain’s DNS zone for proper authentication and mail routing.
UPN suffix: The User Principal Name (UPN) suffix of on-premises AD users should match the registered domain name to enable single sign-on (SSO) for users.
Network connectivity: Ensure that the network is configured to allow communication between the server and Azure AD endpoints. This includes proper DNS resolution, proxy server settings, and firewall rules.
ExpressRoute: If the organization requires a dedicated and optimized connection to Azure AD, they can set up ExpressRoute for faster and more reliable performance.
Step-by-step guide to setting up Azure AD
Creating an Azure AD Tenant:
Navigate to the Azure Portal (https://portal.azure.com/) and log in with your Microsoft account.
In the left navigation menu, click on “Create a resource”.
Search for “Azure Active Directory” and select it from the results.
Click on “Create” in the Azure Active Directory overview page.
In the “Create directory” form, enter a name for your tenant and choose a country or region.
Click on “Create” to create your new Azure AD tenant.
Adding Users and Groups:
In the Azure portal, navigate to your Azure AD tenant by clicking on “Azure Active Directory” in the left navigation menu.
In the Azure AD overview page, click on “Users” under the “Manage” section.
Click on “New user” at the top of the Users page.
In the “Create user” form, enter the required information for the user, such as their name, username, and password.
By default, the user will be added to the “Users” group. To add the user to other groups, click on “Groups” in the “Create user” form and select the desired groups to add the user to.
Click on “Create” to add the user.
Configuring Single Sign-On (SSO):
In the Azure portal, navigate to your Azure AD tenant by clicking on “Azure Active Directory” in the left navigation menu.
In the Azure AD overview page, click on “Enterprise applications” under the “Manage” section.
Click on “New application” at the top of the Enterprise applications page.
In the “Add from the gallery” form, search for the application you want to configure SSO for and select it from the results.
Follow the prompts to configure SSO for your application. This process will vary depending on the specific application you are configuring.
Once SSO is set up, users will be able to access the application using their Azure AD credentials.
Setting Up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):
In the Azure portal, navigate to your Azure AD tenant by clicking on “Azure Active Directory” in the left navigation menu.
In the Azure AD overview page, click on “Security” under the “Manage” section.
Click on “Conditional Access” in the Security page.
Click on “New policy” at the top of the Conditional Access page.
In the “Create a conditional access policy” form, give the policy a name and select the users and/or groups that you want to apply the policy to.
Under “Cloud apps or user actions”, select the applications or actions that you want to require MFA for.
Under “Grant”, select “Require multi-factor authentication” and choose a method for MFA (such as phone call or text message).
Click on “Create” to save the policy.
Users will now be required to complete MFA when accessing the selected applications or performing the selected actions.
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