The phrase of the day is “Microsoft E5 License.”
Identity Jedi used is in the 82nd edition of his newsletter.
The biggest threat to every single vendor in the identity space right now are the following words: Microsoft E5 License.
If you read that and shuddered, I’m sorry.
The argument for a single solution
Sounds scary. But isn’t Microsoft here to help? Threatscape makes the case.
The cohesive suite of security and productivity solutions provided by an E5 licence can significantly streamline your technological landscape, doing away with a number of on-premises and SaaS tools.
While many organisations opt for the lower-cost E3 licence, they may find this soon requires a supplementary selection of single-solution tools from alternate vendors to patch gaps in its capabilities.
Too many solutions means confusion, an often-disjointed workflow, potential overlap and overspend, and crucially, increased security risk.
By consolidating your collaboration, productivity, automation, and security solutions into a single trusted vendor platform, IT management becomes simplified, redundant solutions can be axed, and ROI can be better measured.
The Microsoft E5 Security Components
So you get everything from a single source with no finger pointing. What could go wrong?
Plenty, according to those who still think of Microsoft as an evil empire.
Let’s return to the Identity Jedi.
Microsoft is making a compelling case to businesses to consolidate into the Microsoft umbrella of products. The ease of use, and financial motives just make too much sense. Now do those customers get a great IAM experience with that? Meh…kinda. Entra SSO is solid product, Active Directory/EntraID is solid, MIM…well….we don’t talk about MIM.
Microsoft Identity Manager
Well, I will talk about MIM, or Microsoft Identity Manager.
Actually, we’re talking about Microsoft Identity Manager 2016.
Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) 2016 builds on the identity and access management capabilities of Forefront Identity Manager (FIM) 2010 and predecessor technologies. MIM provides integration with heterogeneous platforms across the datacenter, including on-premises HR systems, directories, and databases.
MIM augments Microsoft Entra cloud-hosted services by enabling the organization to have the right users in Active Directory for on-premises apps. Microsoft Entra Connect can then make available in Microsoft Entra ID for Microsoft 365 and cloud-hosted apps
Is it any good? Sources say that, from a quantitative perspective, Gartner Peer Insights ranks several products higher than MIM’s 4.3 rating, including:
- Okta Advanced Server Access (4.4)
- Ivanti Security Controls (4.5)
- One Identity Active Roles (4.7)
- Imprivata’s SecureLink Customer Connect (4.8)
- Bravura Safe (5.0, 1 rating)
The argument against a single solution
But what of the argument that it’s better to get everything from one vendor? Other companies will tout their best-in-class products. While you’ll end up with a possibly disjointed solution, the work will get done more accurately.
In the end, it’s up to you. Do you want a single solution that is “good enough” and is already pre-made, or do you want to take the best solution from the best-in-class vendors and roll your own?
Bredemarket 