Understanding Microsoft Entra PIM for Groups: A Step-by-Step Admin Guide

Managing access to Microsoft 365’s most important resources is a key responsibility for admins, but ensuring users have only the access they need—at the right time—can be a challenge. That’s where Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for Groups comes in. This tool offers a seamless, secure way for administrators to manage group memberships and roles, providing just-in-time access to sensitive resources.

This blog will walk you through what it is, how it works, and why you should configure it for your organization. Let's dive in!

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What is Privileged Identity Management (PIM)?

Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM) helps admins manage privileged roles in Microsoft 365 and Azure. It reduces the risk of unauthorized access by granting temporary, time-bound access to critical resources. With PIM, admins can activate roles like group membership, ownership, and other high-level permissions only when needed.

PIM enhances security by offering:

Just-In-Time Access: Users are granted elevated permissions only when necessary, minimizing the risk of exposure.

Approval Workflow: Before any changes take effect, PIM requires approval from designated approvers.

Audit Logs: Detailed logs track who activated roles, when, and for how long.

Why Should You Use PIM for Groups?

If you have Microsoft Entra roles or Microsoft 365 groups in your organization, you need PIM for Groups. Here's why:

• PIM helps manage access to sensitive groups like security or Microsoft 365 groups, ensuring that only authorized users have the appropriate roles.
• By enforcing time-limited access, PIM ensures that privileges are granted only when necessary, lowering security risks.
• Enabling features like multi-factor authentication (MFA) and just-in-time activation further secures access to critical resources.

Key Features of PIM for Groups

PIM for groups offers several features that give you control over how groups are accessed and managed:

• Admins can assign roles to members or owners, making it easier to control access to group resources.
• When a user requests elevated access, an approval process ensures that only authorized requests are granted.
• Administrators can enforce MFA for sensitive roles, making access more secure.
• Group owners and members can only hold elevated roles for a limited period, ensuring the least-privilege principle is maintained.

How to Set Up PIM for Groups: A Step-by-Step Guide

Setting up PIM for Groups in Microsoft Entra requires a few steps, but don’t worry – we’ll break them down for you.

1. Prerequisites

Before configuring PIM for Groups, ensure you meet the following requirements:

• Microsoft Entra ID Premium P2 License: PIM for Groups requires a P2 license.
• Admin Role: You need to be a Privileged Role Administrator to configure PIM for Groups.
• Role-Assignable Groups: PIM works with role-assignable groups, so ensure that your groups are configured accordingly.

2. Add Groups into PIM

The first step is to onboard your groups into PIM. Here's how:

• Log into the Microsoft Entra Admin Center with your admin credentials.
• Navigate to "Identity Governance" and select "Privileged Identity Management".
• Under the Manage section, click on "Groups".
• Choose "Discover groups" to select which groups you want to manage with PIM.
• Select the group(s) you wish to onboard and click "Ok".
• Once the group is onboarded, it will be visible in the list of PIM-enabled groups.

3. Set Up Role Settings

Now that your groups are onboarded, you need to configure role settings to define how membership and ownership are managed within those groups.

• Go to the "Groups" section within PIM and select the group you want to configure.
• Under Manage, click "Settings".
• Choose the role (Member or Owner) and configure the settings based on your needs:

Activation: Enable just-in-time activation.

Assignment: Set up eligibility for group members.

Notification: Set up notifications for activations and approvals.

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4. Grant Eligibility for Group Roles

With role settings configured, it’s time to assign eligibility to members and owners of the group. You can assign roles as either eligible or active:?

Eligible: Users must go through an activation process before accessing the role (e.g., MFA or approval).

Active: Users are immediately granted access to the role without the need for activation.

To assign eligibility:

• In PIM, select the group and click "Assignments" under the Manage section.
• Click "+Add assignments" and select the role type (Member or Owner).
• Choose the users you want to assign eligibility to and click Next.
• Once done, click "Assign".

5. Enable Group Membership or Ownership

If you’ve assigned a user as eligible for a role, they’ll need to activate it before they can gain access. Here’s how they can activate their role:

• Go to the "My roles" page in PIM.
• Select "Groups".
• Review eligible assignments and click "Activate".
• Complete any required authentication steps, such as MFA.
• Provide a reason for activation, if necessary.
• Click Activate.

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6. Authorize Activation Requests

If your organization requires approval for elevated access, the designated approvers will receive email notifications when a request for activation is made. To approve or deny:

• Go to the "Privileged Identity Management" page.
• Select "Approval requests" under Manage.
• Review pending requests and either approve or deny them.

That’s it. Now that PIM is configured, it’s important to monitor it using audit logs or access reviews. But before wrapping up, let's clear up a common question:

When to Use PIM vs. PAM?

When it comes to managing access to sensitive resources, especially in the cloud, you might encounter two important terms: Privileged Identity Management (PIM) and Privileged Access Management (PAM). Both are critical components of a robust security strategy, but they serve different purposes and function in distinct ways.

• Use PIM for Groups if you need to control and monitor role-based access within your Microsoft 365 or Azure environment. It’s perfect for organizations looking to manage privileged roles like admin, membership, or ownership for groups and ensuring access is granted only when required.
• Use PAM if your organization requires comprehensive management of privileged access to critical systems, including on-premises servers, network devices, and databases. PAM solutions are also essential when you need to enforce strong password management, credential rotation, and session monitoring for elevated accounts.

In many organizations, PIM and PAM work hand-in-hand. While PIM secures role-based access within the cloud (Azure, Microsoft 365), PAM ensures that access to on-premises systems, databases, and other critical infrastructure is secured.?

To conclude, Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management for Groups is an invaluable tool for admins who want to secure group memberships and ensure that sensitive resources are only accessible to authorized users. By enforcing just-in-time access, approval workflows, and time-bound access, PIM for Groups helps reduce risks and ensure compliance.