We had a project to integrate our Active Directory, which was running on our site, and invite external collaborators, such as freelancers, to connect to our domain via an invitation. Additionally, we merged with another company, which involved integrating both domains.
It's similar to using a Microsoft account to create accounts on other websites. We are also using Microsoft Entra to monitor which applications our guests are using. This allows us to filter, block, or adjust permissions for these applications as needed for our collaborators.
The problem with Microsoft products is that they often cater to enterprise-level needs, which can be too costly for medium-sized businesses. When you move beyond a small team and start growing, the cost and scope of enterprise-class products might not align with your needs. Finding something that’s a good fit between enterprise-grade solutions and those designed for small offices or home offices is challenging.
I have been using Microsoft Entra External ID for eight months.
The initial setup is complex, with many steps and screens. You need to configure settings in one menu and then navigate through multiple screens to find other options, making the process cumbersome. PowerShell commands could speed things up, but we mainly use the GUI for configuration. We had three people working on the project because our IT team is small. We had a field technician and a network administrator who also took on the role of project manager, and I managed the IT department as the overall manager.
Sometimes, it was frustrating because people had to learn how everything worked with Microsoft Entra External ID and the entire Microsoft suite. For instance, we started using SharePoint and Microsoft Teams, but the impact on productivity wasn’t as significant as we had hoped.
It's quite expensive, especially as you grow and add more users. Initially, with a small number of people, the costs were manageable.
Based on what's available in the market, having another competitor or alternative product besides Microsoft would be great. For identity management, we tried using Jamf Cloud over two years ago. Google Identity is more suitable for smaller teams, around twenty people or fewer. It allows team members to log in with their email on their desktops and use their Google ID for websites. Google Identity seems to offer more login options compared to Microsoft.
Overall, I rate the solution as six to seven out of ten.
