The lifecycle of an external user includes the following stages:

  1. Identity creation and invitation
  2. Access request
  3. Access approval
  4. Provisioning of resources
  5. Review of access
  6. De-provisioning and deactivation

The Azure AD Access Reviews feature provides a built-in way to manage this lifecycle for external users. It offers a robust process to frequently review the status of these external users and their access rights to the organization’s resources.

Table of Contents

Implement Azure AD Identity Governance

To manage the lifecycle of an external user, you first need to enable Azure AD Identity Governance. Here are the high-level steps to do so:

  1. Go to Azure AD’s portal and navigate to the Identity Governance section.
  2. Follow the instructions to set up Identity Governance.

Identity creation and invitation

Creating the identity of an external user or inviting an external user can be done through the Azure AD B2B collaboration feature:

// PowerShell command to add an external user
New-AzureADMSInvitation -InvitedUserEmailaddress “external@domain.com” -InviteRedirectURL https://myapps.microsoft.com

Access request

Azure AD Entitlement Management allows users to request access to specific resources. This can be done either manually by an administrator or using a self-service option, where users can request access through the MyAccess portal.

Access approval

Access reviews can be set up to periodically review and approve the access of external users. The reviews can be done by the resource owners, selected individuals, or the users themselves.

Provisioning of resources

Once the access request is approved, Azure AD Provisioning Service helps in setting up the access to the requested resources. This service supports automated provisioning and de-provisioning based on the access reviews.

Review of access

The access given to the external users is not permanent. Periodic access reviews should be set up using Azure AD Access Reviews feature. This will ensure that users who no longer require access or whose roles have changed are appropriately dealt with.

De-provisioning and deactivation

De-provisioning and deactivating users involve removing their access rights and potentially deleting their accounts. This is particularly important when a user leaves the external organization or when a partnership ends. Azure AD provides the Remove-AzureADUser cmdlet to delete a user account:

// PowerShell command to remove an external user
Remove-AzureADUser -ObjectId user@tenant.onmicrosoft.com

This article has been focused on guiding SC-300: Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator aspirants through the Azure AD Identity Governance settings to efficiently manage the lifecycle of external users. It’s important to regularly revisit these settings and verify their configuration to ensure that the access process for external users is transparent, controlled, and secure.

Practice Test

True or False: An external user can be removed from all Azure AD Identity Governance settings by deleting their account.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: Deleting the user account will effectively remove the external user from Identity Governance settings.

What is the first step in managing the lifecycle of external users in Azure AD Identity Governance settings?

  • a) Assigning roles
  • b) Deleting user accounts
  • c) Registering the user
  • d) Setting up access packages

Answer: c) Registering the user

Explanation: Before you can manage the user, they must first be registered with Azure Active Directory.

True or False: Administrators can define access packages for groups of users in Azure AD Identity Governance.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: Access packages are a core feature of Azure AD Identity Governance, allowing admins to define access for groups.

What is the primary purpose of Azure AD Identity Governance for managing the lifecycle of external users?

  • a) To provide single sign-on capabilities.
  • b) To program custom identity solutions.
  • c) To efficiently control access across the organization’s resources.
  • d) To monitor the activities of external users on the network.

Answer: c) To efficiently control access across the organization’s resources.

Explanation: Azure AD Identity Governance provides a set of tools to manage the lifecycle of external users for controlling access, not for the purposes listed in the other options

True or False: Azure AD Identity Governance settings cannot be customized to meet the needs of each organization.

  • True
  • False

Answer: False

Explanation: The variety of settings and controls available within Azure AD Identity Governance can be customized to best fit the specific needs of each organization.

What will happen if the lifecycle of a user in Azure AD Identity Governance settings has expired?

  • a) The user will be able to extend their lifecycle.
  • b) The user’s access to all resources will be automatically removed.
  • c) The administrator will be notified to extend the user’s lifecycle.
  • d) The user will not be affected.

Answer: b) The user’s access to all resources will be automatically removed.

Explanation: User’s lifecycle expiry in Azure AD means their access to resources will be automatically revoked.

Azure AD provides a feature to handle dormant accounts. True/False?

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: Azure AD’s Identity Governance has features like Access Review, to review and handle dormant accounts.

Access reviews can be scheduled on a daily basis in Azure AD. True/False?

  • True
  • False

Answer: False

Explanation: Azure AD’s Access Review can be scheduled on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual basis, but not daily.

Who can initiate access reviews in Azure AD Identity Governance settings?

  • a) Only a Global administrator
  • b) Only an Identity Governance administrator
  • c) Only the access package owner
  • d) All of the above

Answer: d) All of the above

Explanation: All of these roles can initiate access reviews in Azure AD Identity Governance settings.

True or False: Entitlement management in Azure AD Identity Governance settings helps to automate access request workflow.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: Entitlement management automates access request workflows, simplifying the management of access lifecycle for both internal and external users.

Entitlement management is not able to manage access to teams in Microsoft Teams. True/False?

  • True
  • False

Answer: False.

Explanation: Entitlement Management can manage access to resources including groups, apps and SharePoint sites, along with the Microsoft Teams.

Azure AD Identity Governance does not support lifecycle policies for external users. True/False?

  • True
  • False

Answer: False.

Explanation: Azure AD Identity Governance supports lifecycle policies specifically designed to manage external users.

Azure AD Identity Governance lets administrators define what?

  • a) Access packages
  • b) Lifecycle policies
  • c) Roles and privileges
  • d) All of the above

Answer: d) All of the above

Explanation: Azure AD Identity Governance provides tools for defining access, implementing policies and managing roles and privileges.

Azure AD Identity Governance helps to enhance the organization’s security posture. True/False?

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: This is achieved by providing insights, monitoring user’s access, and automating the management of the user lifecycle.

What are the tools provided by Azure AD Identity Governance for managing external user lifecycles?

  • a) Access packages
  • b) Entitlement management
  • c) Access reviews
  • d) All of the above

Answer: d) All of the above

Explanation: All these tools are provided by Azure AD Identity Governance to manage external user lifecycles.

Interview Questions

What is Azure AD Identity Governance?

Azure AD Identity Governance is a collection of features that organizations use to balance their users’ need for access to resources with their need for security compliance.

What are the components of Azure AD Identity Governance?

The four components of Azure AD Identity Governance are Entitlement Management, Access Reviews, Privileged Identity Management, and Terms of Use.

How is an external user’s lifecycle managed in Azure AD Identity Governance settings?

The lifecycle of an external user in Azure AD is managed through a series of processes, including invitation of the user, assignment and/or removal of access packages, periodic access reviews, and ultimately removal when they no longer require access.

What is an Access Review in Azure AD Identity Governance?

Access Review is a feature in Azure AD Identity Governance that allows organizations to manage their users’ access to certain resources. It can be used to ensure users still require access, confirm they’re using the appropriate level of access, or meet regulatory compliance requirements.

What are Azure AD B2B collaboration users’ roles in the lifecycle management of external users in Azure AD Identity Governance settings?

Azure AD B2B collaboration facilitates external user lifecycle management by enabling organizations to securely share their applications and services with guest users from any other organization. This feature manages access, authentication, and user lifecycle stages for guest users.

How does Azure AD Privileged Identity Management contribute to the lifecycle management of external users?

Azure AD Privileged Identity Management allows organizations to manage, control, and monitor access to important resources in the organization. It provides just-in-time privileged access to Azure AD & Azure resources, and reports on administrator access, changes and access attempts.

Can you remove an external user from your Azure AD organization through Azure AD Identity Governance settings?

Yes, through the Azure AD portal, administrators can manually remove an external user who no longer requires access.

What is the purpose of Azure AD Entitlement Management?

Azure AD Entitlement Management helps organizations manage identity governance for apps, data, and storage. It aids in managing access lifecycle at scale, implementing least privilege access, and reducing the risk of excessive access.

How can Microsoft Graph APIs be used with Azure AD Identity Governance?

The Microsoft Graph APIs are used to automate various identity governance tasks, like creating and assigning access packages, applying access reviews, and managing lifecycle policies for external identities.

Can Azure AD Terms of Use help manage the lifecycle of external users?

Yes, Azure AD Terms of Use provides a simple method to present information to end users, ensuring they accept your organization’s terms before accessing resources.

What is the role of Lifecycle Policies in Azure AD identity governance?

Lifecycle policies provide a time-based rule to automatically remove users, including external users, who no longer need access to the application.

How does Azure AD Identity Governance help in meeting regulatory compliance requirements?

Azure AD Identity Governance provides visibility into access patterns and allows for regular access review. This aids in fulfilling audit requirements and mitigating excessive access risks, assisting organizations in meeting regulatory compliance requirements.

How are access packages used in managing the lifecycle of external users in Azure AD identity governance?

Access packages simplify the process of managing access for external users. Administrators can define a collection of resources, define who can access them, and specify the duration of the access.

Which feature of Azure AD identity governance offers just-in-time privileged access?

The feature of Azure AD identity governance that offers just-in-time privileged access is called Azure AD Privileged Identity Management.

Can you automate the removal of guest users in Azure AD Identity Governance?

Yes, through the Azure AD expiration policy, you can automatically remove guest users upon reaching a specified time limit.

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