Microsoft’s MyApps portal (a.k.a. the access panel) is a web-based portal for users of Microsoft’s Azure Active Directory account to launch applications. Think of it as a set of “visual bookmarks” that launch applications granted either by a company administrator or through self-service access:
The idea is to provide employees a common web portal to access all their web-based applications while providing benefits to both the end user and IT
End-user benefits
- No new login credentials to remember – (the credentials are your Office 365 credentials)
- All web-based applications in one place, accessible on any computer including mobile – (no need to worry about bookmark syncing)
- Some applications can be single sign-on (SSO) enabled – (no additional username or password needs to be entered when accessed via the portal)
- Most applications that cannot be enabled for SSO can be set up to store usernames and passwords so they don’t need to be re-entered every visit
- Self-service password reset – (no calls or emails to the helpdesk when you get locked out or can’t remember your password)
IT/Business benefits
- Increased security when using SSO enabled applications (fewer account credentials to maintain when creating or disabling users)
- Self-service password reset for on-premises Active Directory accounts when using Azure AD Connect – (fewer helpdesk calls)
- Conditional access based on group and location for Azure AD Premium accounts – (Example: If accessing apps outside the corporate office, require 2-factor authentication)
- Identity protection and privileged identity management for premium accounts – (automated responses to suspicious activities and just in time administrative access)
- Advanced alerting and reporting on suspicious activity or accounts potentially at risk
- Some apps are integrated to provide end-to-end user provisioning and deprovisioning
Microsoft is considered a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Access Management for 2017.
MyApps Portal – Final Thoughts
While the Microsoft MyApps Portal and Azure AD premium have received high marks from Gartner, and have some compelling reasons why IT would want to adopt it as the access management product of choice, it has too many end-user barriers to adoption and usability issues. In my next blog I will explain further why TecFac thinks Microsoft is close to providing a service that many businesses who use Office 365 will want to seriously consider, and what Microsoft must do in order for IT to “sell” the service to end users and make sure it is something they will want to use on a daily basis.