Microsoft Entra ID India: one tenant, every app, done right
A 280-user Mumbai financial services firm ran a standalone Okta tenant, a parallel ADFS farm, and a separate MFA tool, on top of a Microsoft Entra ID licence it already owned. One tenant absorbed all three and saved Rs 18 lakh a year.
Microsoft Entra ID Cloud identity, SSO, MFA and Conditional Access at a glance
Why Microsoft Entra ID anchors most Indian cloud identity, sso, mfa and conditional access estates.
- What it is
- Microsoft Entra ID, formerly Azure Active Directory, is Microsoft’s cloud identity tenant. It runs single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, conditional access, and privileged identity management for every user, device, and app across Microsoft 365, SaaS, and on-premises Active Directory.
- Licensing base
- Entra ID Free ships with every Microsoft 365 subscription. Entra ID P1 is already included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3, and E5. Most Indian estates already own the tenant and only need the deployment work.
- The real cost driver
- The licence is usually free. What costs money is running a parallel Okta tenant, an on-premises ADFS farm, or a standalone MFA tool nobody retired after buying Microsoft 365.
- Who it fits
- Businesses with 50 or more users already on Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3, or E5, especially those running a parallel Okta or ADFS estate they never switched off.
- India residency and DPDP
- The tenant can be pinned to the India region, so identity directory metadata sits inside Microsoft India datacentres in Mumbai and Pune. Sirius Star configures every deployment for DPDP Act 2023 compliance by default.
- Security layer
- Conditional access checks device compliance from Microsoft Intune, sign-in risk from Identity Protection, and resource sensitivity from Microsoft Defender before granting access. Secure Data Guard sits over the Microsoft 365 content itself.
- Pricing shape
- Entra ID P1 is included free with a qualifying Microsoft 365 licence. P2 adds Rs 750 per user per month. A Sirius Star managed operations retainer runs from Rs 24,000 per tenant per month, billed in INR with GST.
- The stakes
- A 280-user Mumbai financial services firm was paying for a standalone Okta tenant, an ADFS farm, and an MFA tool, all doing a job Microsoft Entra ID P1 already did for free inside its M365 licence. That is an avoidable Rs 18 lakh a year.
The Microsoft Entra ID Cloud identity, SSO, MFA and Conditional Access ranges Sirius Star supplies
Pick the range that matches the use case. We size the mix in the free 30-minute review.
Managed Microsoft Entra ID operations
For Indian businesses without an in-house identity engineer. Monthly conditional access review, quarterly policy refresh, Privileged Identity Management admin lifecycle, and a sign-in log feed into Microsoft Sentinel.
- Single PO, one invoice, free 24-hour review before you sign
- Finance stops paying for parallel identity tools
- IT stops authoring conditional access alone
- Layers with Secure Data Guard for the DPDP DLP archive
Microsoft Entra ID P1
Unlimited SSO across Microsoft 365 and the SaaS gallery. Conditional access, hybrid AD sync, self-service password reset, and App Proxy for legacy on-premises apps.
- Already inside the M365 licence you own
- Unlimited single sign-on across SaaS apps
- Self-service password reset built in
- App Proxy publishes legacy on-premises apps
Microsoft Entra ID P2
P1 plus Identity Protection risk-based conditional access, Privileged Identity Management for time-bound admin activation, Access Reviews, and Entitlement Management for guest lifecycle.
- Time-bound admin activation through PIM
- Risk-based conditional access on real sign-in risk
- Access Reviews clear out stale guest accounts
- Usually licensed for privileged-role holders only
Microsoft Entra ID Cloud identity, SSO, MFA and Conditional Access vs Okta, Ping, ADFS
All four are honest choices. Most Indian buyers land on the first option for service depth and ecosystem fit.
| Brand | Where it wins | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Entra ID via Sirius Star | Wins when the buyer is standardised on Microsoft 365, because P1 ships free in Business Premium, E3 and E5, and conditional access into Intune device compliance is native | Indian businesses that already own the licence and want one accountable partner running SSO, MFA and conditional access. |
| Okta | Wins for SaaS-only estates with zero Microsoft licensing, or app catalogues with 200-plus federations where the Okta Integration Network depth pays off | Businesses not standardised on Microsoft 365, or running a very large non-Microsoft SaaS catalogue. |
| Ping Identity | Wins for regulated banks running customer-facing CIAM at scale | Banks and large regulated financial institutions with consumer identity requirements beyond workforce SSO. |
| ADFS on-premises | Wins nothing new. Microsoft has stopped feature investment and every existing farm should plan a migration | Only fits businesses still mid-migration off a legacy on-premises identity farm. |
How a Sirius Star Microsoft Entra ID procurement runs
Free 30 minute review first. Then a written quote in 24 working hours.
Free Microsoft Entra ID review
Read-only access. We map every user, every SaaS federation, every group, every existing Okta or ADFS estate, and every Microsoft 365 licence SKU. Written report in one business day. No payment.
Tenant design and conditional access build
India region tenant, conditional access baseline, MFA enrolment campaign, SaaS app federation through the Microsoft 365 gallery, and App Proxy for legacy on-premises apps.
Pilot wave of 50 users
Four-week pilot across one department. Sign-in logs reviewed daily. Conditional access tuned. Risky sign-in alerts wired into Microsoft Sentinel.
Production cutover and ADFS retirement
Workforce-wide MFA enforcement. Okta or ADFS estate archived. PIM activated for privileged roles. Sign-in audit log feed aligned to ISO 27001.
Buying Microsoft Entra ID in India: licensing, rollout and the 24-hour scope
A short guide to sizing a Microsoft Entra ID rollout, from the first readiness review to a quarterly conditional access retainer that retires your last Okta or ADFS licence.
- Whether your Microsoft 365 licence already includes Entra ID P1
- The conditional access baseline Sirius Star builds before go-live
- Microsoft Entra ID vs Okta vs Ping vs ADFS, side by side
- The 4-step rollout from readiness review to ADFS retirement
Microsoft Entra ID Cloud identity, SSO, MFA and Conditional Access India FAQ
Common questions about this brand for Indian buyers. Hover any underlined term for a plain-English definition.
What is Microsoft Entra ID and how does it work in India?
Microsoft Entra ID is the Microsoft cloud identity tenant that runs single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, conditional access, and privileged identity management for every user, device, and app across Microsoft 365, SaaS, and on-premises Active Directory. For Indian buyers, Entra ID Free ships bundled with every Microsoft 365 subscription, and Entra ID P1 is included in Business Premium, E3, and E5. Most estates already own the identity tenant and only need the deployment work.
How much does Microsoft Entra ID cost in India?
Microsoft Entra ID P1 is already included free with a qualifying Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3, or E5 licence, so most Indian estates pay nothing extra for baseline SSO and conditional access. Entra ID P2 adds around Rs 750 per user per month, usually licensed only for privileged-role holders. A Sirius Star managed Entra ID operations retainer for conditional access governance and Privileged Identity Management runs from Rs 24,000 per tenant per month. The free 24-hour review checks which licence tier you already own before you pay for anything new.
How does Microsoft Entra ID compare with Okta, Ping, and ADFS for Indian buyers?
Microsoft Entra ID wins when the buyer is standardised on Microsoft 365, because P1 ships free in Business Premium and the conditional access into Intune device compliance is native. Okta wins for SaaS-only estates with zero Microsoft licensing. Ping wins for regulated banks running customer-facing CIAM at scale. ADFS is end-of-life. Sirius Star will tell you which fits in the review.
Does Microsoft Entra ID store Indian tenant data under DPDP?
Yes. Microsoft Entra ID lets the tenant pick India as the data residency region, and from then on the identity directory metadata sits inside Microsoft India datacentres in Mumbai and Pune. Microsoft carries SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and DPDP-aligned data handling. Pair Microsoft Entra ID with Secure Data Guard for endpoint-side DLP on Microsoft 365 mailbox, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams content.
How long does a Microsoft Entra ID rollout take for an Indian estate?
A standard Microsoft Entra ID rollout with SaaS app federation, conditional access authoring, Intune device compliance signals wired in, MFA enrolment for every user, and Privileged Identity Management for admin roles goes live in 4 to 8 weeks for a 300-user estate. ADFS retirement and Application Proxy publishing for legacy apps add 2 to 4 weeks. Sirius Star opens every engagement with a scoping call inside 24 working hours of enquiry.
Is Microsoft Entra ID the right fit, or should I stay on Okta or ADFS?
Microsoft Entra ID fits Indian businesses already on Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3, or E5, with 50 or more users, a parallel Okta or legacy ADFS estate, or a DPDP residency requirement on identity metadata. If your estate has under 25 users, no Microsoft licensing, and a pure SaaS app catalogue, a standalone identity tenant such as JumpCloud at around Rs 200 per user is usually cheaper. Sirius Star says so in the free review rather than selling a licence you do not need.
IT wants fewer identity tools. Finance wants the Okta invoice gone.
Tell us your licence mix and user count. We come back with a P1-versus-P2 fit, a 36-month TCO against your current Okta or ADFS stack, and a written readiness report in 24 working hours.
Pair this on one PO
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