What is Microsoft Identity Manager? Overview, Features, and Deployment [Everything You Need to Know]

User data is of paramount importance in today's age, and managing user data is one of the key requirements in the current world. In recent years, data analysis and management have become an ever-evolving field, with many protocols and services incorporating this concept into their operations. This article will introduce and elaborate on a tool specifically designed for Windows devices – Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM). Let's delve deeper to learn more about MIM and its features.

Overview of Microsoft Identity Manager

Microsoft Identity Manager (also known as MIM 16) is renowned for its server-based synchronization service. It syncs digital identity data across systems for users. As an on-premises tool, it enables organizations to manage access permissions, policies, and credentials. It replaces Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager 2012, aiming to provide enterprise-level security.

MIM is aimed at senior system administrators tackling enterprise identity management tasks. It is very flexible in connecting to various systems, including Active Directory (AD) and other directories, human resources systems, ERP, and email systems. While it offers some portals and reporting options for synchronizing identity data, these have been supplanted by other implementations.

Features of Microsoft Identity Manager

As mentioned earlier, Microsoft Identity Manager consists of multiple components. These components handle tasks related to identity management, highlighting the various features and functionalities that set this tool apart in the market. In this section, we will focus on some prominent features of MIM: 1. **Identity and Access Management (IAM)**: MIM offers a comprehensive solution for managing and controlling user identities, permissions, and access control. This includes creating, updating, and deleting user accounts, as well as assigning and auditing permissions. 2. **Automatic Synchronization**: MIM automates the synchronization of identity data between different data sources like Active Directory, Azure AD, HR systems, ensuring consistency and accuracy of information. 3. **Password Management**: Users can reset their passwords self-sufficiently, reducing the need for IT department intervention and increasing efficiency while minimizing support requests. 4. **Access Approval**: MIM supports approval workflows, allowing administrators or designated individuals to approve user access requests, ensuring compliance and security. 5. **Privileged Identity Management**: It helps manage privileged user accounts, limiting unnecessary access and tracking privileged operations. 6. **Reporting and Auditing**: MIM provides detailed audit logs and reports to monitor and track identity and access activities in compliance with regulatory requirements. 7. **Workflow Customization**: Users can customize workflows according to organizational needs to handle various identity management tasks, such as user requests and permission approvals. 8. **Multi-Environment Support**: MIM operates across different operating systems, applications, and cloud environments, providing a unified identity management solution. 9. **Mobile Device Management**: It integrates with mobile device management solutions to authenticate and control access to employees' mobile devices. 10. **Security and Compliance**: MIM adheres to industry standards and best practices like NIST and FISMA, ensuring the security of data and systems. These are some of the key features of MIM, which provide businesses with powerful identity management and security tools.

1. Access Control: It can be used to restrict privileged access and grant temporary access to the system for users with minimal administrative capabilities. Administrators can conveniently leverage this feature to minimize the risk of hacking and malicious attacks by limiting accessibility.

2. Policy management: MIM enables you to activate authentication technologies, authorization models, and no-code access workflows that work in conjunction with SharePoint's administrative portals.

3. Access control: MIM can enforce access roles across an enterprise system, along with other ancillary functions such as certificate management and reporting.

4. Group management: This includes manual, administrator-driven, or dynamic groups. Microsoft Identity Manager supports the introduction of self-service workflows for requests and approvals.

5. Identity Management: This is a complete design ecosystem for maintaining authentication information in self-service and multi-factor authentication systems with password synchronization.

Deploying Microsoft Identity Manager

If you want to deploy Microsoft Identity Manager in your system environment, there is a straightforward process to follow. Let's look at how you can deploy MIM with ease:

Step 1: Prepare the domain. MIM works with Active Directory (AD), so you can set up your AD domain controllers with "Domain Settings" or consider using "Domain Settings for Group Managed Service Accounts."

Step 2. With your domain in place, you can begin setting up your identity management server. This will involve servers such as Windows Server, SQL Server, and SharePoint Server.

Step 3: Next, you can install the MIM components and synchronize them with Active Directory to complete the deployment of Microsoft Identity Manager.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Is MIM obsolete?

Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) is currently in Extended Support, which will last until early 2029. Mainstream support for it ended in January 2021, meaning that Microsoft is no longer actively developing MIM. Its various services and portals are being deprecated and will continue to be.

2. What will replace Microsoft MIM?

According to reports, Microsoft's MIM (Microsoft Identity Manager) is to be fully supplanted by its cloud-based equivalent, known as Azure AD.

3. Is Microsoft Identity Manager free?

Microsoft Identity Manager is free, because it is deprecated and no longer under mainstream support, and requires a Microsoft Azure license.

4. What is the latest version of MIM?

The latest released version of MIM is 4.6.607.0, which was released before February 10, 2022.