Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Microsoft Azure Active Directory or Azure AD) is a cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution supporting restricted access to applications with Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) built-in, single sign-on (SSO), B2B collaboration controls, self-service password, and integration with Microsoft productivity and cloud storage (Office 365, OneDrive, etc) as well as 3rd party services.
$6
per user/per month
Symantec VIP
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Symantec Validation and ID Protection Service (VIP) is presented as a
user-friendly, cloud-based strong authentication
service that enables enterprises to secure access to networks
and applications without impacting productivity. Also included with VIP Enterprise two-factor authentication is Symantec VIP Access Manager, a single access point to protect cloud and on-premise web apps via Single Sign-On (SSO).
We liked the pricing and support structure of Symantec VIP when compared to Azure Active Directory. When stacked up against Duo Security, the name recognition was also about the same (as it was between Symantec and Microsoft). We liked the speed of the mobile implementation …
That one is tough. It's just easy to integrate the sign-on portion with other products from other companies. Like BluePoint or Podint. It's very easy to integrate the user information with others. Using Android ID to register an application with other companies' applications.
Symantec VIP is best suited in environments where you need two factor authentication. As explained before, Symantec VIP is super easy to use and manage for our users across our entire organization. If you have your users using a virtual private network, Symantec VIP is the way to go; no doubt about it!
The first thing is that it's a really good platform to make a whole inventory of your hardware and software that you already have in the organization. It's very simple. It's very easy to look at what you have in the whole organization. And after that, start applying, for instance, some policies, some solutions in terms of zero trust access using MFA as a second form of authentication. So, these are the ways we use the MTIV platform.
The UI is intuitive and simple to use and navigate. When generating a secure token to be used for VPN access, all the navigation is clear and intuitive. There is no confusion when our users use Symantec VIP.
Every generated token expires after 30-60 seconds, thus providing an extra layer of security and reducing any risk of someone re-using a token or pin to gain unauthorized access into our system.
The app is super responsive and has no lag and little to no latency. Everything loads quickly and is super speedy.
Our department can opt for a 6 digit code which we can use while logging in on different sites and SSO access can be easily set up and achieved with this tool.
There is one thing that we lost since we migrated from Active Directory and it is the user expiration date. If I have an external that I know will work for six months, I have to manually check or put some kind of reminder. I cannot set an expiration date in Microsoft Entra ID. I still don't know why.
when setting a token to a phone call, the phone calls often take a minute + to call the user.
When Symantec's VIP app is removed or reinstalled on a phone, the credential ID will change, and that dictates a call to the helpdesk to allow the user access.
Temporary security codes while handy, must be set to expire immediately to stay secure.
MSFT Entra ID has been essential for managing our geographically dispersed team. We're confident that it will scale with us as grow, and we'll be able to take advantage of additional security and ID management features as they become necessary. Being able to centrally manage our user access from anywhere with a small support team is such a relief.
It's not complex. It works as configured, right? There's a lot of granular rules, and it'll get very specific if you need it to. But for many of our security capabilities, especially for mid-market enterprises, I think you can get all the capabilities you typically need with OnStar.
I have not needed to engage support for anything at this time. I have been able to find the answers either online or in a knowledgebase. I tried to skip the question but it would not let me, so I rated a 9 based on other interactions with Microsoft support I have had
Make sure you use a good partner. Our implementation was a bit longer and more problematic than we expected. Our partner got it done, but, in my opinion, some of their inexperience and staffing issues were evident.
Microsoft Entra ID is not as stand-alone product as competitors like Okta. It may lack some of the features that competing products have but on the other hand it integrates both technically and license wise with other Microsoft cloud services and is easy to deploy. It is also the easiest way to extend identity management to the cloud if you already have Microsoft Active Directory in use.
The Symantec VIP solution has a more easy implementation process, which makes implementation faster. The Prove Of Concept of the solution presents the best results compared with Duo. The final price charged was cheaper. Consultants that participate in the process get show to us in a more clear manner all scenarios where we can use the Symantec VIP.
Microsoft Professional Services' technical knowledge is appreciable as consultants design the solution as per customer requirements. Mapping of features per user specifications and assisting Customer IT engineers to implement so they can manage and administer the services.
Definitely, I can consider this one a positive because, as I mentioned earlier, it's a tool that can help our internal ID team track end users' activities in their sign-in logs and a lot of other things, which is really good and helpful for us.