From Active Directory to Azure: The Evolution of Microsoft’s Identity and Access Management

From Active Directory to Azure: The Evolution of Microsoft’s Identity and Access Management

**Main Points**

– Introduction of Microsoft Active Directory in 1999 as a default identity and access management service in Windows networks.
– Microsoft Active Directory is responsible for assigning and enforcing security policies across networks and enabling access to resources.
– The emergence of new-age technology, prompting Microsoft to introduce Azure Active Directory a few years back.

Enter the Wonderful World of Microsoft Active Directory!

Remember 1999? The year when the world was panicking about Y2K, but Microsoft had bigger fish to fry. They were introducing us to Active Directory, a kind of ‘Bouncer’ for the Windows network party. Think of Active Directory (AD) as an ever-so-reliable doorman, tasked with handling identities and allowing (or denying) access to resources across the network, all while enforcing those pesky but necessary security policies. Everyone gets their own ID badge and AD keeps track of them, making sure no one sneaked in through the back door. Now that’s security in action!

Calling for Reinforcements: Azure Active Directory

As the dad adage goes, “Times change, people change, so do technologies!” A few years back, Microsoft decided that Active Directory needed a sidekick. Enter, Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), a state-of-the-art “Deputy Doorman” for the digital era. Part-nostalgia, part-modernity, Azure AD brought in a breath of fresh tech air, yet keeping the soul of the original AD alive. Now, not just the bouncer, but cloud has a say on who gets to party in the Windows network. Endpoints, you’ve been warned!

Summing Up the Microsoft Active Directory Revolution

In simple terms, the Windows network party started with a trusty bouncer, Microsoft Active Directory, back in 1999. Acting as the gatekeeper, it enabled and controlled access to network resources while ensuring security policies were indeed followed. But as the network party got bigger, and more, let’s say, ‘cloudy,’ Microsoft decided to whip out its latest tech gadget, Azure Active Directory. Sporting the same disciplined yet flexible approach as its predecessor, Azure AD unveiled a new dimension of digital access management, proving that Microsoft Active Directory journey is a tale of constant evolution in the face of change. Here is to more secure, organized, and controlled tech parties!

Remember, in the world of Microsoft Active Directory, only the right keys open the right doors. And if you happen to find a skeleton key, well, you’re probably in a horror movie, not a computer network!Original Article: https://thehackernews.com/2023/08/understanding-active-directory-attack.html


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