Reasons to Upgrade from FIM to MIM

Customers frequently ask us if they should upgrade from FIM to MIM (Microsoft Identity Manager)? My answer is yes – And now’s the time! here’s why.

Mainstream support for Forefront Identity Manager (FIM) ceased in October 2017 so the time to Upgrade from FIM to MIM is right now!

We also know that some organizations are still using ILM. ILM reached the end of its extended support in July 2017 so time has run out for these organizations already!

Our Top 3 Reasons to Upgrade from FIM to MIM are:

1. Modernization
MIM now supports the latest platforms, including Windows Server 2012 R2. Modern APIs will support the certificate management system and the Privileged Access Management (PAM) system. The new certificate management APIs are particularly noteworthy, as they allow users and managers to request and renew PKI certificates when utilizing RESTful API calls.

2. Hybrid Reporting and Synchronization
Although you could provision accounts into a variety of cloud systems using FIM, the improved integration with Azure Active Directory (AD) Premium in MIM is significant.

MIM links directly to the Azure environment to enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) when users want to reset their own password (via a mobile phone).

You can report on events that take place within the MIM environment so they can be included in the Azure AD Premium security reports. Since Azure AD Premium also includes licensing for MIM, this ensures that the identity management of on-premises events can be linked to the cloud-based environment.

3. Security!
PAM is MIM’s new security feature. With numerous high profile data breaches occurring in recent months, security professionals are telling us there are only two types of organizations: those that know they have been hacked and those that don’t know they have been hacked. PAM safeguards those who hold the keys to your kingdom. For much, much more on PAM, check out our white paper, and watch this recording of a webinar What you need to know about Privileged Access Management.

Continuity and commitment

Microsoft is committed to MIM. New features may not be numerous, but they have been carefully considered to ensure businesses can achieve the platform’s full potential while remaining secure. Customers are committed to FIM/MIM because it solves critical business problems very well.

Further resources

There are many, many resources out there on the web, including this one from Microsoft. but right now our advice is.

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OCG can help you with your upgrade from FIM to MIM. Our technical consultants are exceptionally experienced in this field. You’ll be in safe hands. Contact us to discover what’s possible.