[Active Directory] Active Directory from on-premises to the cloud – Windows Azure AD whitepapers

Microsoft just released 4 whitepapers on Windows Azure AD.

Identity management, provisioning, role management, and authentication are key services both on-premises and through the (hybrid) cloud. With:

• The Bring Your Own Apps (BYOA) for the cloud and the Software as a Service (SaaS) applications,
• The desire to better collaborate a la Facebook with the “social” enterprise,
• The need to support and integrate with social networks, which lead to a Bring Your Own Identity (BYOI) trend,

Identity becomes a service where identity “bridges” in the cloud talk to on-premises directories or the directories themselves move and/or are located in the cloud. Active Directory (AD) is a Microsoft brand for identity related capabilities. Within on-premises world, Windows Server AD provides a set of identity capabilities and services and is hugely popular (88% of Fortune 1000 and 95% of enterprises use AD). Windows Azure AD is AD reimagined for the cloud, designed to help you solving the new identity and access challenges that come with the shift to a cloud-centric, multi-tenant world.

Windows Azure AD is the identity foundation for many Microsoft services like Office 365, Windows Intune, and others. Windows Azure AD is a comprehensive identity and access management cloud solution, utilizing the enterprise-grade quality and proven capabilities of Windows Server AD on-premises. It combines core directory services, advanced identity governance, security and application access management.

This series of whitepapers on Windows Azure AD offerings comprises:

• Active Directory from the on-premises to the cloud whitepaper.
• An overview of Windows Azure AD
• Leverage Multi-Factor Authentication with Windows Azure AD whitepaper.
• Leverage Windows Azure AD for modern Business Applications whitepaper.

An overview of Windows Azure AD whitepaper introduces the trends that sustains a new identity model, the role of Identity Management as a Service (IdMaaS) and presents in this context the Microsoft’s identity offerings in the hybrid era.
An introduction on Windows Azure AD whitepaper further presents the capabilities that can be leveraged to centralize the identity management needs of your modern business applications, and your SaaS subscriptions, whether they are cloud-based, hybrid, or even on-premises. Windows Azure AD is a complete offering that can help you take advantage of your on-premises existing investment, fully outsource to the cloud your users (and devices) management and anything in between.

For enterprises with more demanding needs an advanced offering, Windows Azure Active Directory Premium, currently in preview, helps complete the set of capabilities that this identity and access management solution delivers.

Leverage Multi-Factor Authentication with Windows Azure AD whitepaper covers the Windows Azure Multi-Factor Authentication paid offering and how to leverage it with Windows Azure AD (Premium).

Leverage Windows Azure AD for modern Business Applications whitepaper further presents the aspects that relates to the development of solutions. Windows Azure AD offers to developers and cloud ISVs an identity management platform to deliver access control to their modern business applications, based on centralized policy and rules.

The whitepapers are available here : Active Directory from on-premises to the cloud – WAAD whitepapers