Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Microsoft Azure Active Directory or Azure AD) is a cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution supporting restricted access to applications with Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) built-in, single sign-on (SSO), B2B collaboration controls, self-service password, and integration with Microsoft productivity and cloud storage (Office 365, OneDrive, etc) as well as 3rd party services.
$6
per user/per month
Symantec VIP
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Symantec Validation and ID Protection Service (VIP) is presented as a
user-friendly, cloud-based strong authentication
service that enables enterprises to secure access to networks
and applications without impacting productivity. Also included with VIP Enterprise two-factor authentication is Symantec VIP Access Manager, a single access point to protect cloud and on-premise web apps via Single Sign-On (SSO).
We liked the pricing and support structure of Symantec VIP when compared to Azure Active Directory. When stacked up against Duo Security, the name recognition was also about the same (as it was between Symantec and Microsoft). We liked the speed of the mobile implementation …
It is especially good for organizations that are otherwise in the Microsoft ecosystem (Microsoft 365 applications). Microsoft Entra ID is really well supported sign-in method in various SaaS-applications and they often have step-by-step guides how to deploy the SSO with Microsoft Entra ID. It's less suitable for organizations that might use other productivity tools than M365 or do not have Windows-based computers.
Symantec VIP is best suited in environments where you need two factor authentication. As explained before, Symantec VIP is super easy to use and manage for our users across our entire organization. If you have your users using a virtual private network, Symantec VIP is the way to go; no doubt about it!
Single Sign-on helps ease the user experience, allowing users to avoid typing multiple passwords.
The identity and management are straightforward to use and easy to connect to other applications, as well as third-party applications.
The support of remote work. Nowadays, many people work from home and need to access their accounts. Microsoft Enterprise ID gives secure access to the company data.
The UI is intuitive and simple to use and navigate. When generating a secure token to be used for VPN access, all the navigation is clear and intuitive. There is no confusion when our users use Symantec VIP.
Every generated token expires after 30-60 seconds, thus providing an extra layer of security and reducing any risk of someone re-using a token or pin to gain unauthorized access into our system.
The app is super responsive and has no lag and little to no latency. Everything loads quickly and is super speedy.
Our department can opt for a 6 digit code which we can use while logging in on different sites and SSO access can be easily set up and achieved with this tool.
Probably the most primary thing is just the interface itself. It's frequently changing and so oftentimes we kind of have to go back and redocument our processes for our IT staff because the steps that they would take to perform a task one month. Now it's a totally different staff, new dashboard, even a new name for the product or the feature. So it would be nice if that stuff was a little bit more consistent.
when setting a token to a phone call, the phone calls often take a minute + to call the user.
When Symantec's VIP app is removed or reinstalled on a phone, the credential ID will change, and that dictates a call to the helpdesk to allow the user access.
Temporary security codes while handy, must be set to expire immediately to stay secure.
MSFT Entra ID has been essential for managing our geographically dispersed team. We're confident that it will scale with us as grow, and we'll be able to take advantage of additional security and ID management features as they become necessary. Being able to centrally manage our user access from anywhere with a small support team is such a relief.
I mean it's pretty good. It is click, click. I mean, oftentimes I can go to the expert or layer two support to get help. Suddenly I go to them. So it has to be pretty useful to be honest. I do a lot of, and there's a lot of, you could do research quickly online to find out how to do certain things. I think that's the only thing we can improve to in terms of kind of a best practice path is setting up it. But because I'm it profess of tons of years in co-management services, I can figure it out. But for others they may not be able to figure it out. You still need an IT person of course to translate all of that. But to me pretty straightforward. I come from the days of directory from 2008, 2000, Microsoft server 2000.
I have not needed to engage support for anything at this time. I have been able to find the answers either online or in a knowledgebase. I tried to skip the question but it would not let me, so I rated a 9 based on other interactions with Microsoft support I have had
Make sure you use a good partner. Our implementation was a bit longer and more problematic than we expected. Our partner got it done, but, in my opinion, some of their inexperience and staffing issues were evident.
We've used other Microsoft products and we've also used some standalone products, like each application you can have its own identity, so we've looked at some of those too, but we try to use the Entra ID as much as possible because it offers a wider range of reliability.
The Symantec VIP solution has a more easy implementation process, which makes implementation faster. The Prove Of Concept of the solution presents the best results compared with Duo. The final price charged was cheaper. Consultants that participate in the process get show to us in a more clear manner all scenarios where we can use the Symantec VIP.
Microsoft Professional Services' technical knowledge is appreciable as consultants design the solution as per customer requirements. Mapping of features per user specifications and assisting Customer IT engineers to implement so they can manage and administer the services.
I think it's had positive. It's enabled us to make authentication easier and more streamlined across the organization from frontline workers to back office workers.
It's allowed us to really adopt authentication policies and methods that suit that user and their work environment.
