About accessing your organization via Microsoft Entra ID
Azure DevOps Services
Important
Azure DevOps doesn't support Alternate Credentials authentication. If you're still using Alternate Credentials, we strongly encourage you to switch to a more secure authentication method.
This article discusses controlling access to your organization using Microsoft Entra ID. Connecting your organization to Microsoft Entra ID enhances security and simplifies user management.
Benefits of using Microsoft Entra ID
- Centralized management: Manage user access and permissions from a single location. Microsoft Entra administrators oversee user access, providing secure and centralized control.
- Enhanced security: Utilize advanced security features like MFA and conditional access.
- Simplified user experience: Provide a seamless sign-in experience with SSO.
- Directory-based authentication: Only users who are members or guests in your directory can access your organization.
- Access revocation: Disabled or removed users have no access by any mechanism, including PATs or SSH.
- Manual management without Entra ID: Without Microsoft Entra ID, you manually manage access, and all users sign in with only Microsoft accounts.
For more information on setting up and managing Microsoft Entra ID, see the Microsoft Entra ID documentation.
Note
To use existing on-premises identities with Azure DevOps, integrate your directories with Microsoft Entra ID using Microsoft Entra Connect. You can also switch your directory in Microsoft Entra ID.
High-level steps to connect your organization to Microsoft Entra ID
- Connect to Microsoft Entra ID: If your organization was created with a Microsoft account, connect it to your Microsoft Entra ID. This integration allows you to manage access and enforce security policies centrally.
- Sign in: Use the same username and password that you use with your Microsoft services to sign in to Azure DevOps. The single sign-on (SSO) capability streamlines the sign-in process and improves security.
- Enforce policies: Implement and enforce policies to control access to your team's critical resources and key assets. Microsoft Entra ID provides robust policy management features, including multifactor authentication (MFA), conditional access, and role-based access control.
How Microsoft Entra ID controls access to Azure DevOps
Your organization authenticates users through its directory, ensuring that only members or guests within that directory can access your organization. Disabled or removed users from your directory are denied access by any mechanism, including personal access tokens (PATs) or SSH.
Access control gets managed by specific Microsoft Entra administrators who oversee user management within your directory. These administrators can control who gets access to your organization, ensuring secure and centralized management.
Without Microsoft Entra ID, you're solely responsible for controlling organization access. In this case, all users sign in with only Microsoft accounts, and you manually manage user permissions and access.
For more information, see Frequently asked questions about Azure access