At the Build conference, Microsoft announced Entra, a suite of identity management solutions designed to simplify securing a multi-cloud environment.

Managing multiple standalone security solutions can be quite complicated. These are not our words, they are Microsoft’s. Cloud security, specifically how to manage security in a more complex multi-cloud structure, was therefore a key topic during Build 2023. During the conference Entra, a range of security solutions designed to cover the big picture of identity management, will be presented. According to Microsoft, consolidating security tools helps reduce costs by 60 percent without sacrificing security strength.

The Entra offer consists of five different parts. We’ll start with the permissions manager. This provides CIEM solutions to manage the risks associated with granting permissions. The verified ID function automatically validates identity data, which can be integrated into apps with the appropriate development kit.

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Workload identities control access to apps and services. Among other things, the function can detect whether an account has been compromised and automatically deny access. Identity governance also provides automated identity checks across multiple entry points. Finally, there’s Purview, which protects and classifies sensitive data from Microsoft 365 applications.

The Entra solutions are temporarily offered via a free trial. After that, prices vary from service to service. For example, verified IDs are offered for free with an Azure Active Directory subscription. You pay $10.40 per resource per month for entitlement management and $3 per ID created for workload identities. You can find more information about the different products on this page and in this blog.