Customers are wrestling with the idea of providing a productive environment using the latest technology, while at the same time figuring out how to maintain this new technology and keep their data secure. The result is a patchwork of different solutions, complex integration, lost productivity, and systems with security flaws due to not having the most up-to-date software patches and releases. This is where Microsoft 365 Business comes into play. By providing productivity tools, built-in security, and simplified management in one package, Microsoft 365 Business addresses the business challenges customers face in the modern workplace.
Cloud-based IDPs, like Azure Active Directory B2C (AAD B2C), claim that they enable developers to add SSO, MFA, secure storage for user data, and even integrate with other IDPs without the need to write any code. Let's take a closer look at AAD B2C and try to figure out how much effort you will need to use it and whether it is the right solution for your apps.
AAD B2C is a cloud identity provider service based on Azure Active Directory and available in Microsoft Azure Cloud. AAD B2C can be used to:
AAD B2C is not restricted to any particular language or platform, and works with most modern application architectures -- web, mobile, desktop, SPA, and web APIs. AAD B2C employs industry standard protocols, such as OAuth 2.0 or OpenID Connect to authenticate users.
AAD B2C works as a cloud-based extension for apps. Unauthenticated users are redirected to MS Azure, where they can log in and/or sign up for a new account. After a successful login, AAD B2C issues a token and returns the user back to the original application. If SSO is enabled, users can continue to other applications in the "pool" with the same token. AAD B2C gives developers full flexibility to customize all authentication steps, as well as the look and feel of the login/signup experience.
If your apps are using AAD B2C, Microsoft is responsible for the entire authentication process, from accepting and validating user input to safely storing user data in Azure Active Directory. The registered applications are only responsible for accepting and validating access tokens.
AAD B2C authentication is based on JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) -- an open standard (RFC 7519) for securely sending information between parties inside compact, digitally signed tokens.
Applications using AAD B2C must be able to do two things: redirect users to AAD B2C and accept/validate the JWT tokens that it generates. These are the only changes that must be implemented, and there are dozens of libraries (for .NET, Java, PHP, Python, JavaScript, etc.) to help you with that. All the complex logic related to accepting and sanitizing user input, querying user DBs, managing SSO sessions, etc. is handled by AAD B2C.
All features, including SSO, MFA, and integrations with social/corporate IDPs, can be configured in the UI. AAD B2C also provides advanced tools to build highly customized authentication experiences and integrate with arbitrary IDPs and even APIs.
The implementation typically involves three steps:
Still not sure if AAD B2C is suitable for your specific requirements? Contact one of our representatives.
2018-07-27