Why Pay Twice for your Identity as a Service (IDaaS) Solution?

One common question I field from our customers is how they can better leverage their Microsoft 365 Enterprise Mobility Suite (EM+S) licensing investments to save their company money.

Frequently, customers are seeking to replace the annual subscription cost of their existing security solution with Cloud App Security or Azure Advanced Threat Protection. In other cases, they are looking to retire the technical debt of a 3rd party mobile application and device management solution with Intune. However, it seems that the most popular topic of the EM+S conversation lately has been around how Oxford Computer Group can help organizations migrate from Okta Identity Cloud to Azure Active Directory Premium (AADP). And with the massive investment that Microsoft continues to make in AADP, the rate of new features and capabilities added continues at a rapid pace.

Why pay twice?

Typically, our Microsoft EM+S customers think it’s a no-brainer to deploy AADP, even if that means retiring a 3rd party (IdaaS) solution. Not only do customers already own the licenses for a top-tier IDaaS solution, they are already leveraging Azure AD since it is the built-in back-end directory for Office 365. Given that native integration, it makes both architectural and business sense to choose Azure AD for services such as Single-Sign-On, Multi-Factor Authentication, password protection, identity protection, and privileged identity management.

A smooth, customized transition

Of course, we do hear concerns about end-user disruption from moving from one authentication platform to another. Luckily, OCG’s experience in migrating our enterprise clients ensures seamless transition to the new service. We provide change management, communication strategies, and custom corporate branding to make it easy for end users to adopt the new service. As an example, OCG builds unified custom landing pages, incorporating parts of Yammer and SharePoint to provide our enterprise customers with information so they were informed prior to the switch.

So, if your organization owns EM+S and is looking to save considerable money, Oxford Computer Group can help. Contact info@oxfordcomputergroup.com to schedule a conversation with one of our architects to better understand lessons learned from the field.

Nick is responsible for sales in the Northeast district for OCG. He helps enterprise clients secure their identity and governance services while undergoing digital transformation. You can find him on Twitter @nickheberts.