Privileged Identity Management (PIM): Eliminating Standing Admin Privileges
Step-by-step guidance on implementing Just-In-Time (JIT) role activations and mandatory ticket approval workflows for Microsoft 365 and Azure environments.
The Threat of Permanent Administrative Rights
Holding standing Global Administrator or Exchange Administrator privileges turns any workstation compromise into a catastrophic enterprise breach. If an engineer's machine is infected with infostealer malware, their standing session grants attackers immediate lateral movement.
Configuring Just-In-Time (JIT) Role Activation
With Entra ID PIM, administrators are assigned eligible roles rather than permanent active roles. When elevated tasks are required, the user must authenticate via MFA, specify a ticket reference and business justification, and request access for a limited time window (e.g., 2 to 4 hours).
Automated Periodic Access Reviews
Organizations often grant temporary administrative roles for specific migration projects and forget to revoke them. PIM access reviews automate recurring recertification campaigns where resource owners must formally re-approve or terminate administrative rights every 90 days.
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