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Microsoft Azure Active Directory VS Akamai Identity Cloud

Compare Microsoft Azure Active Directory VS Akamai Identity Cloud and see what are their differences

Microsoft Azure Active Directory logo Microsoft Azure Active Directory

Azure Active Directory is a comprehensive identity and access management cloud solution that provides a robust set of capabilities to manage users and groups and help secure access to applications including Microsoft online services like Office 365 …

Akamai Identity Cloud logo Akamai Identity Cloud

Our enterprise customer identity management platform – the Identity Cloud - creates seamless and secure digital experiences for your customers, provides deep business intelligence, and scales to meet the needs of the world’s leading brands.
  • Microsoft Azure Active Directory Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-06
  • Akamai Identity Cloud Landing page
    Landing page //
    2020-02-08

Microsoft Azure Active Directory features and specs

  • Scalability
    Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) can easily scale to accommodate both small businesses and large enterprises with millions of users, making it suitable for a range of organizational needs.
  • Integrations
    Azure AD integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft services such as Office 365, Dynamics 365, and Windows 10, as well as many third-party applications, simplifying user management across platforms.
  • Security Features
    Azure AD provides robust security features like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Conditional Access, and Identity Protection, enhancing the security posture of an organization.
  • Single Sign-On (SSO)
    Azure AD offers Single Sign-On capabilities, allowing users to log in once and gain access to multiple applications without needing to authenticate again.
  • Self-Service Password Reset
    Users can reset their own passwords, reducing the helpdesk workload and improving productivity and user satisfaction.
  • Monitoring and Reporting
    Azure AD includes comprehensive monitoring and reporting tools that help administrators keep track of user activities and potential security threats.
  • Support for Open Standards
    Azure AD supports open standards such as OAuth2, SAML, and OpenID Connect, allowing for flexible integrations with a variety of applications and services.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft Azure Active Directory

  • Complexity
    Implementing and managing Azure AD can be complex, particularly for organizations without dedicated IT staff or prior experience with Microsoft's cloud ecosystem.
  • Cost
    While it offers a range of features, the cost of Azure AD can add up, particularly for premium features and large-scale implementations, making it potentially expensive for some organizations.
  • Learning Curve
    Administrators new to Azure AD may face a steep learning curve and require training to effectively use and manage the service.
  • Dependency on Internet Connectivity
    As a cloud-based service, Azure AD depends on stable internet connectivity. Any internet outage can disrupt access to applications and services.
  • Limited On-premises Integration
    While hybrid models are supported, integrating Azure AD with on-premises Active Directory can present challenges and may require additional setup and maintenance.
  • Feature Overlap
    Organizations using multiple Microsoft services might find some overlap in features, which can complicate administration and lead to redundant functionalities.
  • Customization Constraints
    Though Azure AD offers many out-of-the-box features, customizing beyond the provided options can be difficult and sometimes limited.

Akamai Identity Cloud features and specs

  • Scalability
    Akamai Identity Cloud can accommodate millions of individual logins per day, making it highly suitable for large enterprises with significant user bases.
  • Security
    It provides robust security measures, including advanced authentication mechanisms, ensuring user data is protected from unauthorized access.
  • Integrations
    It offers seamless integration capabilities with various platforms and services, allowing businesses to easily incorporate it into their existing systems.
  • User Experience
    The service is designed to enhance user experience by providing single sign-on capabilities and reduced friction during the login process.
  • Compliance
    Akamai Identity Cloud supports compliance with major standards and regulations such as GDPR, which helps businesses meet legal requirements.

Possible disadvantages of Akamai Identity Cloud

  • Complexity
    Implementing and managing the Identity Cloud can be complex and may require specialized knowledge or training.
  • Cost
    As a comprehensive enterprise solution, the service may be costly for smaller businesses or startups with limited budgets.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Relying heavily on Akamai's platform could lead to vendor lock-in, making it difficult to switch providers if needed.
  • Customization Limitations
    While providing numerous features, there might be limitations in terms of customization to fit unique business needs or specific customer demands.

Analysis of Microsoft Azure Active Directory

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Microsoft Azure Active Directory is a highly effective and reliable solution for managing user identities and access in the cloud. It is well-regarded for its strong security features, versatility, and integration capabilities, making it a solid choice for organizations looking for a comprehensive cloud identity and access management solution.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is considered a strong choice for cloud-based identity and access management services for several reasons. It provides robust security features, seamless integration with Microsoft products, support for a wide range of third-party applications, scalability, and comprehensive identity protection. Azure AD also offers multi-factor authentication, conditional access policies, and identity governance, which are crucial for maintaining secure user access and protecting organizational data. Additionally, the platform's flexibility and extensive documentation make it accessible for businesses of different sizes and technical capabilities.

Recommended for

  • Businesses using Microsoft products like Office 365 and Dynamics 365
  • Organizations requiring robust identity protection and access management
  • IT administrators seeking seamless integration with a wide range of third-party applications
  • Companies looking to enhance security through multi-factor authentication and conditional access
  • Enterprises that need scalable solutions to accommodate growth and complexity
  • Organizations aiming to simplify identity management across cloud and on-premises environments

Microsoft Azure Active Directory videos

What is Azure Active Directory B2C? | Azure Active Directory

More videos:

  • Review - Advanced use cases with Azure Active Directory B2C | Azure Active Directory

Akamai Identity Cloud videos

No Akamai Identity Cloud videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft Azure Active Directory and Akamai Identity Cloud)
Identity And Access Management
Identity Provider
93 93%
7% 7
SSO
100 100%
0% 0
Security & Privacy
68 68%
32% 32

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microsoft Azure Active Directory and Akamai Identity Cloud

Microsoft Azure Active Directory Reviews

The Top 10 Single Sign-On Solutions For Business
Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is one of the most widely used Single Sign-On applications, enabling users to log into multiple accounts with their Office 365 user details. The platform is a cloud based identity and access management service, which allows employees to sign-in to Office 365, the Azure portal (Azure being Microsoft’s cloud application services) and...
10 Best Auth0 Alternatives and Similar Platforms
Administrators may also deploy the tool to map the user experience and manage authentication. Through APIs, Azure Active Directory may connect to a variety of third-party services, including Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce, and more.
Best Identity Management Software
Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a cloud-based identity and IAM solution that can manage users, printers and GPOs. Azure AD is used for employees and Azure AD B2B for guest users and external partners. AD B2C controls how you sign up, sign in and manage your profile when you use your applications.
The 6 Best Identity Access Management Tools
Microsoft Azure Active Directory – From the makers of the most used operating system platform, which means it can easily be implemented on most networks and integrates well with existing access control systems.
20 Identity Management Solutions You Should Know
With a single sign on, Microsoft Azure’s Active Directory allows users to access more than 2,800 SaaS apps, from Salesforce to Canvas — provided they’re cleared to access them, of course. Azure AD also lets IT personnel customize access to sensitive materials and outline conditional access protocols. (For example: “This user should have access to this app only while...
Source: builtin.com

Akamai Identity Cloud Reviews

10 Best Auth0 Alternatives and Similar Platforms
The Akamai Identity Cloud may be linked with marketing systems to allow for reciprocal access management and customization. It also has a centralized cloud directory and a configurable schema that can handle a large quantity of user data.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Microsoft Azure Active Directory seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 15 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft Azure Active Directory mentions (15)

  • AWS Users, Roles, and Identity Center Demystified
    Human users using Roles can leverage IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS SSO) which offers a pretty good experience, whether we're federating from Active Directory (a popular choice for enterprises) or managing users within Identity Center (fine for individuals or small team). We get an easy console sign-in experience and similarly frictionless command line access. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Stack Exchange Moderators Are Going On Strike
    The question is tagged Azure-Active-Directory, which is an IAM/IDP product. That provides plenty of context. Source: about 2 years ago
  • How to choose the right API Gateway
    Because the configuration is a highly critical feature, we need to authenticate via an API key or by means of other auth methods. For example, most API Gateway providers such as Apache APISIX enabled token-based access to Admin API and they highly advise generating your own token and regularly changing it. Or Azure API Management relies on Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), which includes optional features such as... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Case Study: Connecting Azure AD SSO with AWS
    I will not explain too much about Azure AD. I'll recommend reading the documentation and the home page of the Azure AD. In short, Azure AD (Azure Active Directory) is a cloud-based identity and access management service. You can use the identity provided by Azure AD for connecting various applications or services, including AWS. If you want to learn more about Azure AD, please visit the documentation. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Around 83.4% of Fortune 500 have Azure Active Directory
    It is a directory with a lot of functionality. There's actually a number of products under the Azure AD name, including: * Azure AD, their employee/workforce solution. It's a directory, authentication and authorization system. Think Okta or AWS SSO. I imagine this is mostly what the survey was tracking. * Azure AD B2C, their CIAM solution. Think Auth0, Cognito or FusionAuth (disclosure, I'm a FusionAuth employee).... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
View more

Akamai Identity Cloud mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Akamai Identity Cloud yet. Tracking of Akamai Identity Cloud recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft Azure Active Directory and Akamai Identity Cloud, you can also consider the following products

Okta - Enterprise-grade identity management for all your apps, users & devices

Oracle Access Management Suite - Oracle Access Management Suite is Oracle’s industry-leading solution for securing both modern and traditional applications and data, as well as non-IT digital assets, from unauthorized access.

Auth0 - Auth0 is a program for people to get authentication and authorization services for their own business use.

Sign&go Global SSO - Sign&go Global SSO is a secure entry portal allowing you to directly sign into your online accounts at participating sites with a single set of credentials.

OneLogin - On-demand SSO, directory integration, user provisioning and more

Ping Identity - Ping Identity provides cloud-based, single sign-on and identity management solutions with their SAML SSO.