Configure Azure Active Directory

Log in to the hub and select the Cloud Identity Engine app.
In the Cloud Identity Engine app, select
Directories
Add Directory
.
Set Up
a
Cloud Directory
and select
Azure
.

If you have an Azure AD in a government environment, select
Azure Government
and refer to Configure the Cloud Identity Agent if you’re using the Cloud Identity agent for an on-premises directory and Configure Cloud Identity Engine Authentication on the Firewall or Panorama if you want to authenticate your users with the Cloud Identity Engine. For more information, contact your support representative.

Select the method you want to use to log in to your Azure AD.

Palo Alto Networks strongly recommends the client credential flow, as this method allows you to use an Azure AD service account for the Cloud Identity Engine app. Using the client credential flow requires you to configure your Azure AD with the necessary permissions, so ensure you’ve completed all of the predeployment steps necessary to Deploy or Migrate to Client Credential Flow for Azure AD.
Auth Code Flow
—To make changes to your Azure AD in the Cloud Identity Engine, you must log in to the Azure AD.
(Default)
Client Credential Flow
—By granting the required permissions in advance, you do not need to log in to the Azure AD to make changes to that directory in the Cloud Identity Engine.
If you select this option, you must copy the
Directory ID
from the Azure Portal and configure the following permissions for the user’s account:
Directory.Read.All
Organization.Read.All
For more information, refer to Deploy or Migrate to Client Credential Flow for Azure AD.
Select whether you want to
Collect user risk information from Azure AD Identity Protection
to use in attribute-based Cloud Dynamic User Groups.
If you select this option, you must grant additional permissions for the Cloud Identity Engine in the Azure AD Portal. For more information, refer to the documentation for Cloud Dynamic User Groups.

Select whether you want to
Collect enterprise applications
data so that it displays when you View Directory Data. If you don't want to collect the application data or you don't use application data in your security policy, deselect the checkbox to decrease the sync time.
For beta users of this feature, the Cloud Identity Engine continues collecting enterprise application data for any directories configured in your tenant during the beta and no further configuration is required. If you configure a new directory, you must select whether you want to collect enterprise application data from the new directory.

(
Auth Code Flow only
)
Sign in with Azure
using your Azure administrator credentials and grant permissions for the Cloud Identity Engine to access the directory information.

You must have an administrative account for the directory to grant the following required permissions.
Access Azure Service Management
View your basic profile
Maintain access to data you have given it access to
Read directory data
View your email address
Enter your email address or phone number then click

Next

.



Enter your password and

Sign in

.



Consent on behalf your organization

to grant the permissions that the Cloud Identity Engine requires to get the metadata with the list of directories and

Accept

to confirm.



The button displays

Logged In

when the authentication is successful.


(Client credential flow only)
Enter the
Directory ID
,
Client ID
, and
Client Secret
to Deploy or Migrate to Client Credential Flow for Azure AD.

Click
Test Connection
to confirm that the Cloud Identity Engine tenant can successfully communicate with the Azure directory.

The Cloud Identity Engine checks for the primary directory, which may not be the same as initial directory.
While the test is in progress, the button displays
Testing
.
When the Cloud Identity Engine verifies the connection, the button displays
Success
and lists the domain name and ID for the directory.
If the connection is not successful, the button displays
Failed
and a red exclamation point. If this occurs, confirm you have entered your Azure credentials correctly.
If you have more than one directory in your Azure AD, select the radio button for each directory and
Test Connection
.
Submit
each directory individually.
(Auth Code Flow only)
Consent on behalf your organization
to grant the permissions the Cloud Identity Engine requires to access the directory data and
Accept
to confirm.

(Optional) Enter a unique name as the
Directory Name (optional)
field to use a customized name for the directory in the Cloud Identity Engine app.
You can use up to 15 lowercase alphanumeric characters (including hyphens, periods, and underscores) for the directory name in the Cloud Identity Engine. You don't need to change the name of the directory itself, only the name of the directory in the Cloud Identity Engine app.

If you are collecting data for the same domain from both an on-premises Active Directory (AD) and an Azure AD, Palo Alto Networks recommends that you create a separate Cloud Identity Engine tenant for each directory type. If you must use the same Cloud Identity Engine tenant and want to collect data from both an on-premises AD and an Azure AD, you must customize the directory name for the Azure AD (for example, by adding
.aad
to
Customize Directory Name
) then Reconnect Azure Active Directory. Any applications that you associate with the Cloud Identity Engine use the custom directory name.
The custom directory name is the alias for your Azure AD in your Cloud Identity Engine tenant; it does not change the name on your directory. If you do not enter a custom directory name, the Cloud Identity Engine uses the default domain name.
The Cloud Identity Engine supports lowercase alphanumeric characters, periods (.), hyphens (-), and underscores (_).
If you associate the Cloud Identity Engine with Cortex XDR, the customized directory name must be identical to the
Domain
you select in Cortex XDR.
The custom directory name must match the corresponding directory name in any app that you associate with the Cloud Identity Engine. For example, if you are using the Cloud Identity Engine with Cortex XDR, the custom directory name in the Cloud Identity Engine must be the same as the directory name in Cortex XDR.
When the configuration is complete,
Submit
the configuration.
When you submit the configuration, the Cloud Identity Engine connects to your Azure AD and begins synchronizing attributes. The
Sync Status
column displays
In Progress
while the Cloud Identity Engine collects the attributes.
To add another Azure AD to your Cloud Identity Engine tenant, you must first log out of the Azure AD that already exists in the Cloud Identity Engine. After you log out, click
Add Directory
and repeat Steps 3 through 9 using the credentials for the new Azure AD in Configure Azure Active Directory.

Now that you have configured your Azure Active Directory in the Cloud Identity Engine, you can take the following next steps:
If you want to use the client credential flow to use a service account with the Cloud Identity Engine, make sure to complete all the required steps to Deploy or Migrate to Client Credential Flow for Azure AD.
Use the Cloud Identity Engine app to create, view, delete, rename, or synchronize tenants and to view or customize the attributes that the Cloud Identity Engine collects.
For a comprehensive user identity and authentication solution, learn how to Authenticate Users with the Cloud Identity Engine.