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Identity & privileged access
Microsoft Entra ID and privileged access consultancy
Strengthen sign-in, cut unnecessary admin rights and bring guest and app access under control. Konsolute designs and implements Microsoft Entra ID MFA, Conditional Access and PIM for staff, administrators, guests and applications, with tested rollout and no lockouts.
WHAT THIS HELPS YOU ACHIEVE
Give people the access they need and remove the access they don't
Identity security depends on more than switching on MFA. We connect authentication, role design, application permissions and access reviews so controls reflect how your organisation works and how access changes over time.
Stronger authentication
Align authentication methods and access policies with the sensitivity of the service and the needs of each user group.
Less standing privilege
Reduce unnecessary administrator access and introduce time-bound role activation where supported and licensed.
Accountable access
Establish owners, approval paths and review responsibilities for guest, application and privileged access.
Controlled change
Pilot identity policies, test business dependencies and maintain emergency access before broader enforcement.
OUR IDENTITY & PRIVILEGED ACCESS SERVICES
Identity security from policy design to operational handover
Choose a focused Entra ID assessment, a defined control implementation or a phased identity improvement programme. Scope follows your users, applications and existing architecture.
MFA & authentication methods
Review authentication registration, permitted methods and account recovery. Plan stronger and phishing-resistant sign-in for agreed user groups, with onboarding guidance and tested support.
Conditional Access design
Design policies around users, resources, device state and risk signals where licensed. Review existing policy overlaps, exclusions and legacy access dependencies before piloting enforcement.
Privileged Identity Management (PIM)
Treat Entra directory roles and Azure resource roles separately. Design eligible assignments, activation rules, approvers and durations in PIM, with emergency access handled explicitly.
Guest access & governance
Review external collaboration settings, who can invite guests and who owns them. Set up review and removal processes, using access reviews or entitlement management where licensed.
Application & workload identities
Review enterprise apps, app registrations, consent grants and service principal permissions. Reduce credential dependencies with managed identities or workload identity federation where supported.
Identity operations & assurance
Document joiner, mover and leaver responsibilities, privileged access reviews and policy exceptions. Set up logging, alert owners, emergency access tests and handover for the controls in scope.
CAPABILITIES & DELIVERY SCOPE
Controls for human access, administration and application identities
We distinguish workforce access from non-human identity requirements. Policies, permissions and operating procedures are designed around the supported capabilities of each identity and resource type.
Authentication policy
Define who can use each authentication method, how registration is rolled out and how users recover access if they lose a device or credential.
- User groups and authentication method requirements
- Registration and recovery processes
- Phishing-resistant options for agreed use cases
Conditional Access
Build a documented policy set with explicit scope and tested interactions, considering risk and device signals alongside service dependencies.
- Policy assignments and exclusion rationale
- Report-only evaluation and pilot groups
- Staged enforcement and rollback decisions
Role design & least privilege
Map administrative tasks to the right permissions. Separate Entra directory roles from Azure RBAC scopes and remove avoidable standing access.
- Role inventory and task-to-role mapping
- Resource scope and privileged group ownership
- Removal or reduction of unnecessary assignments
PIM & emergency access
Introduce time-bound activation without creating a recovery dependency, and protect and monitor emergency access as a separate arrangement.
- Eligibility and activation requirements
- Approver availability and escalation procedures
- Emergency account protection and validation
External collaboration
Define how guests are invited, sponsored and reviewed, accounting for partner dependencies and access granted through connected applications.
- Guest sponsors and invitation controls
- Cross-tenant settings where required
- Review, expiry and removal responsibilities
Application permissions
Review delegated and application permissions against real requirements, and separate the identity, credential and consent model of each service.
- App registration and enterprise application ownership
- Consent grants and permission minimisation
- Credential lifecycle and supported identity alternatives
Identity lifecycle
Map identity changes to the systems and teams that carry them out. Automate supported steps only once ownership and exceptions are agreed.
- Joiner, mover and leaver dependencies
- Provisioning and deprovisioning boundaries
- Approval paths and exception handling
Monitoring & access reviews
Define evidence, review cycles and response owners for the controls in place. Log retention and monitoring depend on the services and licences.
- Sign-in and audit evidence requirements
- Access review decisions and follow-up actions
- Policy exceptions and emergency access testing
TECHNICAL DESIGN DECISIONS
Reduce privilege without creating avoidable lockouts
Identity changes can affect every connected business service. We identify dependencies, test representative scenarios and document the recovery paths before broadening enforcement.
Policy interactions
Review existing Conditional Access policies, group membership and exclusions together, and test their combined outcome rather than each policy alone.
Business dependencies
Identify service accounts, automation, partner access and legacy clients before changing sign-in or permissions, and plan separately for any constraints.
Protected recovery
Define emergency access credentials, secure storage, authorised use, monitoring and regular tests, rather than treating them as unmanaged exclusions.
Operational ownership
Assign policy owners, role approvers and reviewers. Document changes, exceptions and licensing assumptions so the controls stay maintainable over time.
OUR APPROACH
How we deliver identity and privileged access
Six stages take each identity change from discovery to staged enforcement, with emergency access and rollback proven before anyone is locked out.
Discover & assess
Inventory relevant identities, roles, applications and authentication dependencies.
Design controls
Agree policy scope, permissions, activation rules and acceptance criteria.
Prepare recovery
Validate emergency access, support procedures and rollback arrangements.
Pilot & validate
Test representative users, administrators and workloads before enforcement.
Deploy in stages
Apply approved changes in agreed phases and monitor the results.
Hand over & review
Deliver configuration records, runbooks and ongoing review responsibilities.
Verify.Restrict.Review.
WHERE IDENTITY CONTROLS CAN HELP
Resolve the access issues creating unnecessary exposure
Start with a defined identity concern or a wider Entra ID improvement programme. Discovery establishes the systems, identities and operational boundaries in scope.
- Replace inconsistent MFA coverage with a planned authentication approach
- Rationalise overlapping Conditional Access policies and exclusions
- Reduce permanent administrator assignments and introduce suitable PIM controls
- Review guest access after growth, restructuring or partner changes
- Reduce excessive application permissions and unmanaged credential dependencies
- Establish repeatable access reviews and tested emergency access procedures
See it in practice: Konsolute built a Zero Trust Microsoft 365 tenant for Great British Energy – Nuclear, with Entra ID identity and access controls designed in from the start.
WHAT WE DELIVER
An access model your organisation can operate
Deliverables reflect the agreed assessment and implementation scope. Configuration is accompanied by the evidence and procedures needed to understand, validate and maintain it.
Identity baseline & backlog
An inventory of relevant controls and findings, with priorities, dependencies and named remediation owners.
Policy & role design
Documented authentication policies, role mappings, permission decisions and approved exceptions for the agreed scope.
Deployment & test evidence
Pilot outcomes, implementation records, acceptance results and remaining actions from staged deployment.
Operational runbooks
Guidance for privileged activation, recovery, access review and change ownership, with handover to your support teams.
FAQ
Entra ID and privileged access FAQs
MFA, Conditional Access, PIM, guests, app identities and licensing.
We assess, design and implement agreed identity controls across authentication, Conditional Access, privileged roles, guest access and application identities. The scope identifies the tenants, users, resources and operating procedures involved. It can cover assessment only or include implementation and handover.
We review current registration, authentication methods and service dependencies, then agree a staged approach. Pilot groups test user journeys and recovery processes before wider changes. Communications and support guidance are included where agreed, with exceptions recorded and assigned for follow-up.
We examine existing policies and their combined effect before designing changes. Report-only evaluation, pilot groups and representative testing inform enforcement decisions. Emergency access and rollback arrangements are checked, while legacy clients and automation dependencies are considered separately.
We map administrative tasks to suitable roles and identify assignments that can be removed, narrowed or made eligible for activation. PIM can support appropriate Entra roles where licensed. Emergency access is treated separately, and changes are validated against the tasks administrators must still perform.
Yes. Directory roles control administration within Entra ID and associated services, while Azure RBAC governs access at resource scopes such as subscriptions and resource groups. We review assignments, ownership and activation requirements for each model rather than assuming one role design covers both.
An agreed implementation can cover eligible assignments, activation duration, approval, justification, authentication requirements and review processes for supported roles or groups. We check licensing, approver availability and operational dependencies, then test activation and hand over procedures for ongoing administration.
Yes. We can review guest inventory, ownership, collaboration settings and supported cross-tenant controls. The design defines who approves external access and how it is reviewed or removed. Connected application permissions and business dependencies are considered so guest lifecycle changes do not assume every access path is identical.
We review the agreed app registrations, enterprise applications, service principals and related permissions. Work can include ownership, credential lifecycle and consent controls. Managed identities or federation are considered where supported, rather than applying user-focused MFA or privileged activation assumptions to non-human identities.
Yes. We map identity lifecycle requirements to the authoritative systems, provisioning integrations and teams responsible for each step. Automation and governance capabilities are selected according to supported scenarios and licensing. Exceptions, approval paths and the limits of deprovisioning coverage are documented.
We design emergency access around resilient authentication, secure credential custody, authorised use and monitoring. The arrangement is tested against plausible loss-of-access scenarios and reviewed regularly. It is documented separately from routine administration so policy enforcement or approval dependencies do not undermine recovery.
Requirements depend on the selected Conditional Access, PIM, governance and workload identity capabilities, as well as the identities and resources covered. We review existing entitlements and identify dependencies before implementation. The proposal separates achievable configuration changes from capabilities requiring additional licensing.
We agree acceptance criteria and test representative user, administrator and application scenarios. Evidence includes policy outcomes, role activation behaviour and the operation of agreed recovery paths. Remaining exceptions and review responsibilities are documented so the handover is based on tested behaviour rather than configuration alone.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
Where does access need stronger control?
Tell us about your Entra ID environment, privileged access model and current concerns. Konsolute will help define the right assessment or implementation engagement.