MiMvsEmpowerIDArticle

Posted by Aditya Taneja on Wed, May 24, 2023

Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) is a legacy identity management solution that has been around for a while. Organizations have been leveraging Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) to centrally manage user identities, automate user provisioning and de-provisioning because of its relatively easy integration within the Microsoft Ecosystem. While it has served many organizations well, it lacks some of the essential features that modern identity management software offers.

Here are a few of the key features that MiM is missing compared to modern identity management solutions:

  1. Cloud-First Approach: 

    MIM was designed for on-premises environments, and while it can be extended to support cloud-based environments, it lacks the cloud-first approach that modern identity management solutions offer. This can make it challenging to manage hybrid environments or to take full advantage of the cloud's scalability and flexibility.
  2. Flexible Identity Models: 

    MIM relies heavily on the Active Directory schema, which can limit its flexibility when it comes to managing non-AD identities such as contractors, partners, and customers. Modern identity management solutions offer more flexible identity models that can accommodate a wider range of identity types and sources.
  3. Self-Service Provisioning:

    MiM requires significant manual intervention for account provisioning and access request workflows. Modern identity management solutions offer self-service capabilities that enable users to request and manage their own access, reducing the administrative burden on IT staff.
  4. Access Governance: 

    MiM offers basic access control functionality but lacks the more advanced access governance features found in modern identity management solutions. This includes capabilities such as entitlement cataloging, risk-based access certification, and access analytics.
  5. User Experience:

    MIM's user interface is complex and challenging to use, MiM’s frustrating User Interface is a common gripe amongst all its customers. Modern identity management solutions offer streamlined user experiences that are more intuitive and user-friendly, reducing the learning curve and improving user adoption.

EmpowerIDvsMiMs

In summary, while MIM has been a reliable identity management solution for many organizations, it lacks some of the essential features that modern identity management solutions offer. If you're looking for a more flexible, scalable, and user-friendly identity management solution, it's time to consider upgrading to a modern identity management platform such as EmpowerID.

EmpowerID is a next-generation identity and access management platform that provides unparalleled flexibility and scalability. With EmpowerID, you can easily manage identities, applications, and resources across your entire organization, regardless of size or complexity.

Here are just a few reasons why you should consider moving to EmpowerID:

  1. Greater Flexibility: EmpowerID offers a highly configurable platform that can be customized to fit your organization's unique needs. With our flexible architecture and robust API, you can easily integrate EmpowerID with your existing systems and workflows.
  2. Improved Security: EmpowerID provides comprehensive security features, including multi-factor authentication, role-based access control, and privileged access management. With EmpowerID, you can ensure that your organization's sensitive data and resources are protected from unauthorized access.
  3. Simplified Administration and Self-Service: EmpowerID's intuitive user interface and streamlined workflows make it easy for administrators to manage user accounts, access requests, and other identity-related tasks. With EmpowerID, you can reduce the administrative burden on your IT team and improve overall efficiency.
  4. Better User Experience: EmpowerID offers a seamless user experience, with a single sign-on portal that provides easy access to all of your organization's applications and resources. With EmpowerID, your users can enjoy a streamlined, hassle-free experience that improves productivity and reduces frustration.

So if you're looking for a powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use identity management solution, look no further than EmpowerID. Contact us today to learn more about how EmpowerID can help you take control of your organization's identity and access management needs.

Upgrade from Microsoft Identity Manager Today!

Tags: Active Directory, authentication, IAM, Access Governance, 2-Factor, authorization, Azure security

Adaptive 2-Factor Authentication for Citrix Netscaler

Posted by Chris Hayes on Thu, Apr 30, 2015

2-Factor for Citrix via empowerID

What is Adaptive authentication? By definition something adaptive should have a capacity or tendency toward adaptation when faced with different scenarios. empowerID has taken this concept and applied it to our class leading Radius service for Citrix and other "edge devices" like Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, F5 and more.

Having managed many Citrix NetScaler strong authentication projects myself I understand the challenges faced when enabling 2-factor authentication with NetScaler products.

Common questions that you should ask yourself when undertaking a project like this are.
  • What methods does the authentication support?
  • Can I migrate users by groups in the back end rather than cut everyone over at the same time?
  • What kind of logging and reporting is available?
  • How scalable is the solution?
  • How are the configurations stored?
So we know some of the questions you need to be aware of, let's walk through an empowerID workflow for Citrix NetScaler below.

 

Adaptive Auth for Citrix

  1. Multiple users go to login to the NetScaler
  2. The NetScaler takes in a username and password
  3. This information is passed to empowerID's Radius endpoint
  4. empowerID looks at the group membership of the user
  5. One user will go through 2-factor authentication
  6. One user will go through Single Factor authentication
  7. Both users will be presented with the same information after authentication
This truly adaptive model means you can migrate some your users to 2-factor authentication while keeping some at single factor authentication.

So let's get back to a few key points:
  1. What methods does the authentication support?
  • Can I migrate users by groups in the back end rather than cut everyone over at the same time?
    • Fully supported, keep everyone going to the SAML login page and empowerID will determine if the user needs 2-factor or single factor authentication.
  • What kind of logging and reporting is available?
    • empowerID's audit and reporting engine leads the pack when it comes to real time reporting and auditing.  While other products can't push reports up to a central audit point empowerID doesn't have the same limitations.  Built from the ground up to scale you can log into one place and review all audit reports.
  • How scalable is the solution?
  • How are the configurations stored?
    • empowerID configurations are stored in a database, the way it should be done.  Not in flat web.config or .conf files, these aren't methods that scale.

    Ready to learn more?

     Request a Demo

    Tags: Active Directory, IAM, Identity Management, SAML, Citrix, Palo Alto, Identity and Access Management (IAM), Radius, 2-Factor, Cisco