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Lab 07: PIM - Portal Solution

Step-by-step portal walkthrough for all lab tasks


Task 1: Explore PIM Dashboard

Step 1.1: Access PIM

  1. Go to Microsoft Entra admin centerhttps://entra.microsoft.com
  2. Navigate to Identity governancePrivileged Identity Management
  3. You'll see the PIM Quick Start page

Step 1.2: Explore My Roles

  1. In PIM, click My roles in the left menu
  2. You'll see tabs:
    • Entra ID roles - Your eligible/active directory roles
    • Azure resources - Your eligible/active Azure RBAC roles
    • Groups - Your eligible/active group memberships
  3. Note which roles you have as "Eligible" vs "Active"

Step 1.3: Review Current Assignments (Admin View)

  1. Click ManageEntra ID roles
  2. Click Roles to see all roles
  3. Click Assignments to see all current assignments
  4. Use filters to view:
    • Eligible assignments - Users who can activate
    • Active assignments - Users who currently have the role
  5. Look for roles with "Permanent" status (no end date)

Checkpoint: You understand the PIM interface and current state


Task 2: Configure PIM Settings for Global Administrator

Step 2.1: Access Role Settings

  1. In PIM → ManageEntra ID roles
  2. Click Settings
  3. Find Global Administrator and click on it
  4. Click Edit (or the role name opens settings)

Step 2.2: Configure Activation Settings

Under Activation tab:

SettingValue
Activation maximum duration (hours)4
On activation, require✅ Azure MFA
Require justification on activation✅ Yes
Require ticket information on activation☐ No
Require approval to activate✅ Yes

Step 2.3: Configure Approvers

  1. Under "Select approver(s)", click Select member(s)
  2. Search for and select the approving admin (yourself or another admin)
  3. Click Select

Step 2.4: Configure Assignment Settings

Under Assignment tab:

SettingValue
Allow permanent eligible assignment✅ Yes
Expire eligible assignments after(leave default or set 365 days)
Allow permanent active assignment☐ No
Expire active assignments after4 hours
Require Azure MFA on active assignment✅ Yes
Require justification on active assignment✅ Yes

Step 2.5: Configure Notifications

Under Notification tab:

  • Configure who receives emails for various events
  • Recommended: Enable notifications for role activations

Step 2.6: Save Settings

  1. Click Update
  2. Confirm the settings are saved

Checkpoint: Global Administrator has strict PIM requirements


Task 3: Create an Eligible Assignment

Step 3.1: Add Eligible Assignment

  1. In PIM → ManageEntra ID rolesAssignments
  2. Click + Add assignments
  3. Select role: User Administrator
  4. Select member(s): Click, then search for User1
  5. Click Next

Step 3.2: Configure Assignment Type

  1. Assignment type: Select Eligible
  2. Permanently eligible: Leave UNCHECKED
  3. Assignment starts: Today
  4. Assignment ends: Select a date 6 months from now
  5. Click Assign

Step 3.3: Verify Assignment

  1. Go to Assignments tab
  2. Filter by Eligible assignments
  3. Confirm User1 shows as eligible for User Administrator
  4. Verify there's NO active assignment for User1

Checkpoint: User1 is eligible but not active for User Administrator


Task 4: Configure PIM Settings for User Administrator Role

Step 4.1: Access Settings

  1. In PIM → ManageEntra ID rolesSettings
  2. Click User Administrator
  3. Click Edit

Step 4.2: Configure Activation

SettingValue
Activation maximum duration (hours)8
On activation, require✅ Azure MFA
Require justification on activation✅ Yes
Require ticket information☐ No
Require approval to activate☐ No

Step 4.3: Configure Assignment

SettingValue
Allow permanent eligible✅ Yes
Allow permanent active☐ No
Expire active assignments after8 hours

Step 4.4: Configure Notifications

  1. Under Notification tab
  2. For "Send notifications when eligible members activate this role":
    • Add admin email addresses as recipients
  3. Click Update

Checkpoint: User Administrator configured for self-service activation with MFA


Task 5: Activate a Role (User Experience)

Step 5.1: Sign In as Eligible User

  1. Open InPrivate/Incognito browser
  2. Go to https://entra.microsoft.com
  3. Sign in as User1 (the eligible user)

Step 5.2: Navigate to My Roles

  1. In Entra admin center, search for "PIM" or navigate to:
    • Identity governancePrivileged Identity Management
  2. Click My roles
  3. Click Entra ID roles tab

Step 5.3: Activate the Role

  1. Find User Administrator in the "Eligible assignments" section
  2. Click Activate
  3. A panel opens on the right

Step 5.4: Complete Activation Form

  1. Duration: Select hours (e.g., 2 hours)
    • Note: Cannot exceed maximum set in role settings (8 hours)
  2. Reason: Enter justification
    • Example: "Creating test users for Project Alpha development environment"
  3. Complete MFA if prompted
  4. Click Activate

Step 5.5: Verify Activation

  1. Wait a moment for activation to process
  2. Refresh the page
  3. The role should now appear under Active assignments
  4. Note the End time - this is when access automatically expires

Step 5.6: Test the Role

  1. Navigate to IdentityUsersAll users
  2. Try to create a new user (you now have permission)
  3. The action should succeed

Checkpoint: User1 successfully activated User Administrator role


Task 6: Configure PIM for Azure RBAC Roles

Step 6.1: Discover Azure Resources

  1. In PIM → ManageAzure resources
  2. If you see "No resources found":
    • Click Discover resources
    • Select your subscription
    • Click Manage resource
  3. Wait for discovery to complete

Step 6.2: Navigate to Resource

  1. Click on your subscription (or expand to find a resource group)
  2. You'll see the Azure RBAC PIM interface

Step 6.3: Add Eligible Assignment

  1. Click Assignments (under the resource)
  2. Click + Add assignments
  3. Select role: Contributor
  4. Select member(s): User2
  5. Click Next
  6. Assignment type: Eligible
  7. Permanently eligible: Uncheck
  8. End date: 6 months from now
  9. Click Assign

Step 6.4: Configure Role Settings

  1. In the Azure resource view, click Settings
  2. Click Contributor
  3. Click Edit
  4. Configure:
    • Maximum activation duration: 8 hours
    • Require MFA: Yes
    • Require justification: Yes
  5. Click Update

Checkpoint: User2 can activate Contributor role on Azure resources


Task 7: Approve/Deny PIM Requests

Step 7.1: Access Approval Queue

  1. Sign in as an approver (the admin designated in role settings)
  2. Navigate to PIM → Approve requests
  3. You'll see tabs:
    • Entra ID roles
    • Azure resources
    • Groups

Step 7.2: Review Pending Request

  1. If there are pending requests, click on one
  2. Review:
    • Who is requesting
    • What role they want
    • Their justification
    • Requested duration

Step 7.3: Process the Request

To Approve:

  1. Click Approve
  2. Add a comment (optional): "Approved for project work"
  3. Confirm

To Deny:

  1. Click Deny
  2. Add a reason (required): "Please submit a ticket first with manager approval"
  3. Confirm

Step 7.4: Verify Notification

  • Requester receives email notification of decision
  • If approved, role is now active for them

Checkpoint: You can process PIM approval requests


Task 8: Create an Access Review

Step 8.1: Navigate to Access Reviews

  1. In PIM → ManageEntra ID roles
  2. Click Access reviews
  3. Click + New

Step 8.2: Configure Review Basics

FieldValue
Review nameQuarterly User Admin Review
DescriptionQuarterly review of User Administrator role assignments
Start dateToday
FrequencyQuarterly
Duration (days)14
EndNever (or select an end date)

Step 8.3: Configure Scope

  1. Scope: Select User Administrator role
  2. Review type: Select assignment types to review:
    • ✅ Active
    • ✅ Eligible

Step 8.4: Configure Reviewers

SettingValue
Select reviewersSelected user(s) or group(s) OR Members (self)
ReviewersAdd yourself or a security group
Fallback reviewersAdd backup reviewer

For self-review: Select Members (self)

Step 8.5: Configure Completion Settings

SettingValue
Auto apply results to resource✅ Yes
If reviewers don't respondRemove access
Action to apply on denied guest usersN/A for this role

Step 8.6: Review and Create

  1. Click Next: Review + Create
  2. Review all settings
  3. Click Create

Checkpoint: Access review is scheduled to run quarterly


Task 9: Review PIM Audit Logs

Step 9.1: Access Audit History

  1. In PIM → ManageEntra ID roles
  2. Click Resource audit or Directory roles audit

Step 9.2: Filter Audit Logs

Use filters to find specific events:

  • Activity: Add member to role completed, Remove member from role, Update role settings
  • Date range: Last 7 days
  • Status: Succeeded, Failed

Step 9.3: Review Key Events

Look for these types of entries:

  • Add member to role in PIM completed - When eligible assignment created
  • Add member to role completed - When role was activated
  • Remove member from role completed - When activation expired or role removed
  • Update role settings - When admin changed PIM settings

Step 9.4: Export Audit Data

  1. Click Export
  2. Download as CSV for compliance reporting

Checkpoint: You can audit all PIM activity


Task 10: Configure PIM Alerts

Step 10.1: Access Alerts

  1. In PIM → ManageEntra ID roles
  2. Click Alerts
  3. You'll see a list of built-in alerts

Step 10.2: Review Built-in Alerts

AlertDescription
Roles are being assigned outside of PIMDetects direct role assignments bypassing PIM
Potential stale Global Administrator accountsAccounts not signing in
Too many Global AdministratorsMore than threshold configured
Administrators aren't using privileged rolesEligible users not activating
Roles don't require MFA for activationSecurity gap

Step 10.3: Configure Alert Settings

  1. Click on an alert (e.g., "Too many Global Administrators")
  2. Click Setting
  3. Configure:
    • Threshold (e.g., alert when more than 5 Global Admins)
    • Whether alert is enabled
  4. Click Update

Step 10.4: View Alert Status

  • Alerts show Triggered if condition is met
  • Click Dismiss to acknowledge (alert will re-trigger if condition persists)
  • Click Scan to manually check for issues

Checkpoint: PIM alerts are configured for proactive monitoring


Summary Checklist

TaskStatus
Explored PIM dashboard
Configured Global Admin role settings
Created eligible assignment for User1
Configured User Administrator settings
Tested role activation as user
Configured PIM for Azure resources
Processed approval request
Created access review
Reviewed PIM audit logs
Configured PIM alerts

Released under the MIT License.