Application cases for SharePoint Online user account
Example
Set up guest access to a site collection with read-only permissions. To do this, a SharePoint Online user account is added. The Azure Active Directory Guests group is assigned as authentication object to the user account. Clara Harris owns an Azure Active Directory user account, which is a member in this group. She can log in to the site collection with this and obtain all the SharePoint Online user account's permissions.
Jan Bloggs is also requires guest access to the site collection. He owns an Azure Active Directory user account in the same domain. In the Web Portal, he requests membership of the Azure Active Directory Guests group. Once the request is granted approval and assigned, he can log in on the site collection.
SharePoint Online access permissions are supplied in different ways in the One Identity Manager, depending on the referenced authentication object.
Case 1: The associated authentication object is a group. The authentication system is managed in One Identity Manager. (Default case)
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The user account represents an Azure Active Directory group. This group can be assigned in the One Identity Manager as authentication object.
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The user account cannot be assigned to an employee. This means, the user account can only become a member in SharePoint Online roles and groups through direct assignment.
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Before an employee can log in to the SharePoint Online system, they require an Azure Active Directory user account. This user account must be a member of the Azure Active Directory group that is used as an authentication object.
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A new SharePoint Online user account can be created manually.
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The user account cannot be managed through an account definition.
Case 2: The authentication object is a user account. The authentication system is managed in One Identity Manager.
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The user account represents an Azure Active Directory user account. The user account is not assigned as an authentication object in One Identity Manager.
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The SharePoint Online user account can be assigned to an employee. This means that the user account can become a member in SharePoint Onlineroles and groups through inheritance and direct assignment.
If an authentication object is assigned, the connected employee is found through the authentication object.
If there is no authentication object assigned, the employee can be assigned automatically or manually. Automatic employee assignment depends on the TargetSystem | SharePointOnline | PersonAutoFullsync and TargetSystem | SharePointOnline | PersonAutoDefault configuration parameters.
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A new SharePoint Online user account can be manually created or by using an account definition. The Azure Active Directory user account used as the authentication object must belong to a domain trusted by the referenced authentication system.
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The user account can be managed through an account definition.
For more detailed information about employee handling and administration, see the One Identity Manager Target System Base Module Administration Guide.
Supported user account types
Different types of user accounts, such as default user accounts, administrative user accounts, service accounts, or privileged user accounts, can be mapped in One Identity Manager.
The following properties are used for mapping different user account types.
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Identity
The Identity property (IdentityType column) is used to describe the type of user account.
Table 14: Identities of user accounts
| Primary identity |
Employee's default user account. |
Primary |
| Organizational identity |
Secondary user account used for different roles in the organization, for example for subcontracts with other functional areas. |
Organizational |
| Personalized admin identity |
User account with administrative permissions, used by one employee. |
Admin |
| Sponsored identity |
User account that is used for a specific purpose, such as training. |
Sponsored |
| Shared identity |
User account with administrative permissions, used by several employees. |
Shared |
| Service identity |
Service account. |
Service |
NOTE: To enable working with identities for user accounts, the employees also need identities. You can only link user accounts to which an identity is assigned with employees who have this same identity.
The primary identity, the organizational identity, and the personalized admin identity are used for different user accounts, which can be used by the same actual employee to perform their different tasks within the company.
To provide user accounts with a personalized admin identity or an organizational identity for an employee, you create subidentities for the employee. These subidentities are then linked to user accounts, enabling you to assign the required permissions to the different user accounts.
User accounts with a sponsored identity, group identity, or service identity are linked to dummy employees that do not refer to a real person. These dummy employees are needed so that permissions can be inherited by the user accounts. When evaluating reports, attestations, or compliance checks, check whether dummy employees need to be considered separately.
For detailed information about mapping employee identities, see the One Identity Manager Identity Management Base Module Administration Guide.
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Privileged user account
Privileged user accounts are used to provide employees with additional privileges. This includes administrative user accounts or service accounts, for example. The user accounts are labeled with the Privileged user account property (IsPrivilegedAccount column).
Detailed information about this topic
Default user accounts
Normally, each employee obtains a default user account, which has the permissions they require for their regular work. The user accounts are linked to the employee. By default, the link between employee and SharePoint Online user account is set up through the authentication objects to which the user account is assigned. Alternatively, employees can also be directly linked to the user accounts. Such user accounts can be managed through account definitions. The effect of the link and the scope of the employee’s inherited properties on the user accounts can be configured through an account definition and its manage levels.
To create default user accounts through account definitions
- Create an account definition and assign the Unmanaged and Full managed manage levels.
- Specify the effect of temporarily or permanently disabling, deleting, or the security risk of an employee on its user accounts and group memberships for each manage level.
- Create a formatting rule for IT operating data.
You use the mapping rule to define which rules are used to map the IT operating data for the user accounts, and which default values are used if no IT operating data can be determined through a person's primary roles.
Which IT operating data is required depends on the target system. The following setting are recommended for default user accounts:
- In the mapping rule for the IsGroupAccount column, use the default value 1 and enable the Always use default value option.
- In the mapping rule for the IdentityType column, use the default value Primary and enable Always use default value.
- Enter the effective IT operating data for the target system. Select the concrete target system under Effects on.
Specify in the departments, cost centers, locations, or business roles that IT operating data should apply when you set up a user account.
- Assign the account definition to employees.
When the account definition is assigned to an employee, a new user account is created through the inheritance mechanism and subsequent processing.
Related topics
Administrative user accounts
An administrative user account must be used for certain administrative tasks. Administrative user accounts are usually predefined by the target system and have fixed names and login names, such as Administrator.
Administrative user accounts are imported into One Identity Manager during synchronization.
NOTE: Some administrative user accounts can be automatically identified as privileged user accounts. To do this, in the Designer, enable the Mark selected user accounts as privileged schedule.
Related topics
