TL;DR
Microsoft Active Directory (AD) remains the backbone of enterprise identity management, but its full potential is unlocked when extended to the cloud. By integrating AD with Okta, organizations can enable single sign-on (SSO), automate user lifecycle management, enforce adaptive multi-factor authentication (MFA), and secure all communications with SSL encryption — all from a single, centralized platform.
- Connect your Active Directory to the cloud
- Use single sign-on (SSO) with your AD credentials
- Automate user lifecycle management
- Use SSL encryption for a secure connection
- Use adaptive multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Unlocking the full potential of Active Directory
Microsoft Active Directory (AD) is the cornerstone of most enterprises' internal networks. It is a critical component of many organizations' user and identity access management. Here are some strategies to ensure you're getting the most out of your Active Directory.
How do you connect your Active Directory to the cloud?
It's hard to imagine a time when an organization's network components were not stored in a single location. But as businesses increasingly harness the power of cloud services, their external access requirements have proliferated. While cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) apps have improved productivity in many ways, these services have also created security and efficiency issues for IT departments and network administrators as they try to keep track of everything.
Okta's Active Directory integration harmonizes identity and access management, much like AD did itself in the early 2000s. It also facilitates reporting across all of your web-based applications, whether they are in the cloud or behind the firewall.
How does single sign-on (SSO) work with your AD credentials?
With single sign-on (SSO), your team can use their Active Directory credentials not only for internal network access and email, but also for all of their external web apps. With over 4,000 integrations to the leading SaaS apps, users can log in with a single user account in a single session. This not only increases productivity for the end user, but reduces password reset help desk calls by up to 50%.
How can you automate user lifecycle management?
Okta connects AD and your external and on-prem apps to provide, revoke, or modify user access automatically. When a user is deleted in AD, Okta automatically handles the following:
- Deprovisioning all of that user's assigned applications when they are deleted in AD
- Automatically granting access to new employees via Human Resources (HR) software integration
- Allowing admins to keep a group policy and modify access to entire teams at once by harnessing AD security group membership and other rules
How does Okta handle onboarding and group policy?
Okta also integrates to HR software, so it can automatically grant access to new employees. This streamlines the onboarding process and communication between HR and IT. By harnessing AD security group membership and other rules, admins can keep a group policy and modify access to entire teams at once.
Why use SSL encryption for a secure connection?
Okta's commitment to the highest levels of security is key to our integration. Communication between AD and Okta's cloud service is kept secure through Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption. Using server-side SSL certificates keeps your organization safe from man-in-the-middle attacks. The AD agent initially authenticates to Okta by using organization-specific credentials. After the first authentication, the agent exchanges cryptographic keys for all future communication.
How does adaptive multi-factor authentication (MFA) strengthen security?
Okta also facilitates automated multi-factor authentication (MFA) so your organization can create and enforce security policies for all users from a single, central location. This eliminates the risks that come with employees using the same passwords across various services. Okta's MFA feature enables you to comply with industry-leading security standards. Whether your employees are accessing their accounts on-prem or remotely, Okta is always on, keeping you secure.
How does AD agent redundancy improve availability?
To ensure your user identity and access management keep running smoothly, Okta supports multiple AD agents running at the same time. This provides:
- Higher throughput
- Redundancy
- Better availability
If an agent ever stops running for any reason, the authentication requests will be routed to other agents without disrupting service.
Getting started with Okta for Active Directory
Okta is easy to install and configure with your Active Directory. From the Okta admin portal, one click lets you download the Okta Active Directory agent and install it on any Windows server with access to a domain controller. After it's installed, simply enter the URL of your Okta subdomain name and your credentials, and the agent will securely connect AD and Okta. Our Help Center provides a step-by-step guide on how to begin leveraging your Active Directory into the cloud with Okta.
Frequently asked questions
What is the benefit of integrating Microsoft Active Directory with Okta?
Integrating AD with Okta harmonizes identity and access management across both on-premises and cloud environments, enabling centralized reporting and control over all web-based applications.
How does single sign-on (SSO) reduce IT workload?
By allowing users to access all internal and external applications with a single set of AD credentials, SSO can reduce password reset help desk calls by up to 50%.
How does Okta automate user lifecycle management with Active Directory?
When a user is deleted in AD, Okta automatically deprovisions all of that user's assigned applications. It also integrates with HR software to automatically grant access to new employees, streamlining onboarding.
How does Okta secure communication between Active Directory and the cloud?
Communication is secured through Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption using server-side certificates, protecting against man-in-the-middle attacks. After initial authentication, the AD agent exchanges cryptographic keys for all future sessions.
What happens if an Active Directory agent stops running?
Okta supports multiple AD agents running simultaneously. If one agent stops, authentication requests are automatically rerouted to other agents without any disruption to service.
How do you install and configure the Okta Active Directory agent?
From the Okta admin portal, a single click downloads the AD agent, which can be installed on any Windows server with domain controller access. After installation, entering your Okta subdomain URL and credentials completes the secure connection.
