User identity and integration in the Microsoft Cloud
As state and local governments move to the cloud, two of the major barriers are identity and integration. Governments need a seamless way to manage identity and access for cloud-based users. They also need to integrate cloud applications with their on-premises systems and the external databases they use on a regular basis.
The good news is that the Microsoft Cloud for Government offers solutions to both of these problems, allowing governments to take advantage of the cloud—flexibly, cost-effectively, and at their own pace.
A Secure Way to Manage Cloud-Based Users
The majority of government customers use Active Directory on-premises—and they want a seamless way to extend this functionality into the cloud. Unlike other cloud providers that require governments to move to a completely new cloud-based directory, Microsoft is the only cloud provider to offer Active Directory in the cloud. Microsoft Azure Active Directory provides the same robust capabilities for managing user identity and access as Active Directory on-premises. Moreover, Azure Active Directory is integrated with the on-premises Active Directory, which means IT administrators can continue to manage user identity from a central location, just as they always have.
Azure Active Directory works with literally thousands of non-Microsoft cloud applications, giving employees the ability to sign onto every application with the same password, whether it resides in the cloud or on-premises. And just like their on-premises Active Directory, Azure Active Directory offers multi-factor authentication for extra layers of security. Government users don’t have to build a completely new directory. Nor do they have to spend extra money piecing together third-party solutions to achieve the rich functionality they’re used to with Active Directory. Instead, they can simply extend Active Directory to their cloud applications and continue to manage user identity in a way that’s familiar and effective.
Integrating Cloud and On-Premises Applications
Another issue for state and local governments is integration. Many government agencies are still using mainframe computers with on-premises legacy applications that they can’t afford to update. And as they move to the cloud, governments need to integrate these systems with their cloud applications. They also need to connect their cloud applications to external state and federal databases they tap into regularly. Moreover, all of this needs to be easily accessible from a wide range of mobile devices that employees use on the job.
Here, too, Microsoft offers the most comprehensive solution of any major cloud provider. Government customers can connect applications running on Microsoft Azure to their on-premises applications using Microsoft Azure Service Bus , a cloud-based messaging system that connects applications, services, and devices wherever they are. In addition, Microsoft offers Microsoft Azure BizTalk Services , which allows governments to extend their on-premises business applications to the cloud. BizTalk Services bridges mismatches between message transport protocols, message structures, and formats that exist between disparate systems. It also integrates business processes and applications that span different line-of-business applications, such as SAP and Microsoft SQL Server.
With these integration capabilities, organizations can easily connect all of their cloud applications to each other and to their on-premises systems. They can develop web-based interfaces that make it easy for employees to access the organization’s back-end systems. And they can access all of their applications and data from any mobile device including Windows, Android, and iOS tablets and smartphones.
Although identity and integration are very real issues for state and local governments, they are easily addressed by the Microsoft cloud. These issues represent some of the many ways we’re working to break down the barriers—so our government customers can embrace the cloud in a way that meets their unique needs.
To learn more, please see our Microsoft Azure Government website.
