Chapter 6. Microsoft Azure and Active Directory

In the previous chapters, we built an infrastructure to run Azure-based virtual machines. We looked at how we can create a virtual machine of a variety of types, and how we can network the services together to allow the communication. We also looked at how we can monitor the performance of those virtual machines in the cloud. In this chapter, we will discuss how Active Directory can help you identity and provide access to resources on your IT estate, and how this functionality can be used in the cloud. In this chapter, you will learn the following topics:

• What is Microsoft Azure Active Directory?

• How does Microsoft Azure Active Directory (WAAD) work with Windows Server Active Directory (WSAD)

• Securing Multi-Factor Authentication

• Managing Microsoft Azure Authentication using PowerShell

What is Microsoft Azure Active Directory?

Active Directory was introduced to the Microsoft stack of technologies way back with Windows Server 2000. It has been around for a long time now. It is used to track and manage resources on your network. It can also be used to provide access to resources on your network. Each new version of Windows Server brings with it some new Active Directory features.

For those who are new to Active Directory, we have included a short section to discuss the Active Directory terminology:

• Domain: An Active Directory domain is a collection of objects within your Active Directory network. It can include things such as users, groups of users, and computers.

• Forest: This is a collection of domains; if you have a large organization, you may have multiple domains.

• Organizational Unit (OU): This is a container that can be used to group other Active Directory objects together. You can place user groups and computers in organizational units inside your domain. This represents...

Summary

In this chapter, we discussed the options that were available to you when it came to making use of Microsoft Azure Directory Services. We looked at how we can create a cloud-based directory and discussed the options available for integrating your on-premises Active Directory with the cloud in order to allow you to integrate your on-premises Active Directory seamlessly to manage your cloud-based resources. In the next chapter, we will discuss high availability and disaster recovery.