New Azure Tool Discovers Cloud Application Use

A new tool from Microsoft, Azure Cloud App Discovery (currently in preview), could help organizations discover hosted applications being used on Windows PCs. The tool consists of a hosted service, an agent, and a dashboard that displays data returned from the agent. The tool takes advantage of Azure Active Directory (AAD) to help organizations drive centralized user and application management. It could help administrators discover security or compliance weak points due to the use of unmanaged or unapproved applications. However, the tool has limitations and could create privacy concerns if used incorrectly or the resulting data is not handled properly.

Single Sign-On Is Key Driver for AAD

AAD is Microsoft’s default directory for its hosted services, underpinning Office 365, Intune, and Azure, among others. It allows users to sign on with one set of credentials across multiple applications. AAD can be synchronized and federated with an on-premises instance of AD, which allows users to use their familiar AD credentials to access Microsoft services, as well as third-party applications through single sign-on (SSO).