Azure/Entra ID Group-Based Access --------------------------------- One feature I would like to see is deeper integration with Microsoft Entra ID groups. Ideally, administrators should be able to map Entra ID groups directly to NetBird access policies so that users who are added to a specific corporate group automatically receive the appropriate NetBird access. This would make user onboarding and offboarding much easier because access could be managed centrally through existing identity-management processes rather than requiring additional manual configuration in NetBird. Direct EDR/XDR/MDR Integration ------------------------------ Another improvement would be more direct integration with security platforms such as CrowdStrike, Microsoft security solutions, XDR, or MDR platforms for self-hosted deployments. Currently, for our self-hosted environment, we can collect NetBird logs through a separate logging or syslog server and then forward them to our security-monitoring platforms. This works, but having a more direct integration with EDR/XDR/MDR platforms would simplify the architecture and reduce the additional infrastructure required for log collection and forwarding. Just-in-Time Access ------------------- I would also like to see a just-in-time (JIT) access capability. For example, we could integrate NetBird with a ticketing or ITSM platform such as Jira or ServiceNow and create a temporary access policy for a specific machine. An administrator could request access to a particular server, receive approval, and then automatically receive access for a defined period—for example, 10 minutes. Once the period expires, the access would automatically be revoked. This would strengthen our zero-trust approach by ensuring that privileged access is provided only when required and for the minimum necessary duration. Self-Hosted High Availability and Backup ---------------------------------------- For organizations running NetBird in a self-hosted environment, enhanced database backup, high availability (HA), and disaster-recovery capabilities would also be valuable. These features would provide additional resilience for organizations that depend heavily on NetBird for production connectivity. Overall ------- There is no major issue with the current product from my perspective. The self-hosted version already provides a strong and flexible foundation. My recommendations are mainly focused on making enterprise integrations and security workflows more seamless. The features I would prioritize are Entra ID group-based access, direct EDR/XDR/MDR integrations, just-in-time access with automatic expiration, and improved HA/backup capabilities for self-hosted deployments. These enhancements would make NetBird even stronger for organizations that are building a mature zero-trust and infrastructure-access strategy.
