Entra ID, previously known as Azure AD is Microsoft's Identity Management-as-a-Service solution, offering seamless access, easy collaboration, efficiency in IT processes and improved security and compliance. In its Release Notes for Entra ID and through the Microsoft 365 Message Center, Microsoft communicated the following planned, new and changed functionality for Entra ID for January 2024:
What's Planned
New Microsoft Teams-specific consent settings
Service category: User Access Management
Product capability: User Management
For Microsoft Entra and Microsoft Teams, we are introducing two new resource-specific consent settings (RSC) for teams and chats to enhance secure app adoption. These settings will affect Chat RSC and Team RSC for apps in Microsoft Teams. This update also empowers Teams-level admins to independently manage these settings. Existing Group owner consent settings and API and the existing Chat RSC API will be retired with this update.
Microsoft begins rolling out early March 2024 and expects to complete by mid-March 2024. This change is associated with MC712143 in the Message Center.
Removal of MFA text message delivery via WhatsApp in India
Service category: MFA
Product capability: User Authentication
Meta has announced that due to an updated regulation in India not allowing over-the-top (OTT) apps like WhatsApp to be used for business communication, they will block the ability to send authentication messages via WhatsApp to users in India starting March 1st, 2024.
Back in September 2023, Microsoft Entra began delivering one-time passcodes (OTP) for multi-factor authentication (MFA) via WhatsApp for some users in India, Indonesia and New Zealand. While data showed this improved authentication completion rates for users, to comply with Meta's update Microsoft will be removing support for WhatsApp in India by March 1st, 2024.
Starting mid-February 2024, users in India who've been receiving OTP messages via WhatsApp will start receiving them via SMS as they did before. This change is associated with MC710214 in the Message Center.
What's New
Microsoft Defender for Office alerts in Identity Protection Generally Available
Service category: Identity Protection
Product capability: Identity Security & Protection
The Suspicious sending patterns risk detection type is discovered using information provided by Microsoft Defender for Office (MDO). This alert is generated when someone in your organization has sent suspicious email, and is either at risk of being restricted from sending email, or has already been restricted from sending email. This detection moves users to medium risk, and only fires in organizations that have deployed MDO.
App-Only User.ReadBasic.All Permission
Service category: Role-based access control (RBAC)
Product capability: Access Control
User.ReadBasic.All allows an application to retrieve basic user properties like ID, display name, first and last name, email address, and photo. Previously, only delegated User.ReadBasic.All was available. Microsoft heard feedback to enable app-only User.ReadBasic.All permission as well, to limit their app access to only basic user properties.
Consider granting the User.ReadBasic.All permission instead of User.Read.All.
This change is associated with MC704030 in the Message Center.
New Microsoft Entra recommendation to migrate off MFA Server Public Preview
Service category: MFA
Product capability: User Authentication
Microsoft has released a new recommendation in the Microsoft Entra admin center for organizations to move off MFA Server to Microsoft Entra multi-factor authentication. MFA Server will be retired on September 30, 2024. Any organization with MFA Server activity in the last seven days will see the recommendation that includes details about their current usage, and steps on how to move to Microsoft Entra multi-factor authentication.
Cross-tenant manager synchronization Public Preview
Service category: Provisioning
Product capability: Identity Governance
Cross-tenant synchronization now supports synchronizing the manager attribute across tenants.
New provisioning connectors in the Microsoft Entra Application Gallery
Service category: App Provisioning
Product capability: 3rd Party Integration
Microsoft has added the following new applications in the Entra Application gallery with Provisioning support. Organizations can now automate creating, updating, and deleting of user objects for these newly integrated apps:
New Federated Apps available in Microsoft Entra Application Gallery
Service category: Enterprise Apps
Product capability: 3rd Party Integration
In January 2024, Microsoft has added the following new applications in the Entra Application gallery with Federation support:
- Boeing ToolBox
- Kloud Connect Practice Management
- トーニチ・ネクスタ・メイシ ( Tonichi Nexta Meishi )
- Vinkey
- Cognito Forms
- Ocurus
- Magister
- eFlok
- GoSkills
- FortifyData
- Toolsfactory platform, Briq
- Mailosaur
- Astro
- JobDiva / Teams VOIP Integration
- Colossyan SAML
- CallTower Connect
- Jellyfish
- MetLife Legal Plans Member App
- Navigo Cloud SAML
- Delivery Scheduling Tool
- Highspot for MS Teams
- Reach 360
- Fareharbor SAML SSO
- HPE Aruba Networking EdgeConnect Orchestrator
- Terranova Security Awareness Platform
What's Changed
New Microsoft Entra Home page Generally Available
Service category: N/A
Product capability: Directory
Microsoft redesigned the Microsoft Entra admin center's homepage to help admins do the following:
- Learn about the product suite
- Identify opportunities to maximize feature value
- Stay up to date with recent announcements, new features, and more!
See the new experience at https://entra.microsoft.com.
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