Microsoft Launches Entra Suite for Security and Identity Management

Microsoft has made its Entra Suite generally available, which is a collection of tools designed to unify security and identity management. The new offering seeks to enhance network access security and identity validation for enterprises, ensuring safe access to business applications and networks for employees regardless of their location. The Entra Suite and the unified security operations platform help organizations maintain their Zero Trust posture by ensuring constant authentication and authorization of all access requests, enforcing least privileged access principles, and continuously monitoring and analyzing activities to proactively identify and address cyber threats. It supports cloud-based security and identity systems, potentially decreasing the reliance on traditional security measures such as VPNs and on-premises Secure Web Gateways. Microsoft offers the suite at $12 per user per month, with a Microsoft Entra P1 subscription also required Unified Security and Identity Management The Entra Suite consolidates identity and network access security, offering tools to verify users, prevent over-privileged permissions, improve threat detection, and enforce detailed access controls. It streamlines collaboration between identity and network teams, reducing IT administrators’ workload by allowing policy management in one place. The suite also integrates Microsoft Entra capabilities into Microsoft Copilot for Security, assisting identity professionals in responding to identity risks more swiftly.  One of the key elements of the Entra Suite is Conditional Access, which performs real-time assessments on access requests from any source. This unified policy engine for access enables both identity and network teams to secure every access point, eliminating the security gaps that often exist when using various solutions. Additionally, the suite offers capabilities like passwordless login and single sign-on for all applications, making access easier for users. Microsoft Sentinel Integration Alongside the Entra Suite, Microsoft has also made Microsoft Sentinel generally available through the Microsoft Defender portal. Sentinel aids companies in identifying and responding to cyberattacks in real time, providing advanced tools for detecting and mitigating security threats promptly. Microsoft Sentinel is now included in the Microsoft unified security operations platform, allowing customers to manage a single workspace within the Defender portal. This integration results in unified incidents and hunting with Microsoft Defender XDR, as well as leverages Microsoft Copilot for generating incident summaries and reports. The platform extends attack disruption capabilities to other essential applications and provides tailored recommendations after incidents. To promote the adoption of a Zero Trust security model, Microsoft has introduced new features within the Entra Suite and Microsoft Sentinel as part of its unified security operations platform. These enhancements aim to secure access, identify and close security vulnerabilities, detect cyber threats, reduce response times, and streamline operations. A proactive Zero Trust security strategy integrates defenses across identities, endpoints, networks, applications, data, and infrastructure with comprehensive policies, threat protection, and governance. The Entra Suite, within this platform, is engineered to support Zero Trust by providing unified policies, controls, and automation. Upcoming Unified Multicloud Management Platform Microsoft recently announced it is working on a new integrated platform to simplify discovering and fixing security risks, following zero-trust principles. It aims to create a single platform that secures any identity in any cloud setup and integrates artificial intelligence and machine learning to better identify elusive risks and propose efficient solutions.