Summary: Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM) provides a comprehensive solution for managing access to critical resources. It enforces "just-in-time" and "just-enough-access" principles by requiring users to activate privileged roles only when needed. This tool helps organizations minimize the attack surface associated with standing administrative access.

Direct Answer: Granting permanent administrative rights to users is a major security vulnerability. If a user with standing "Global Admin" access is compromised, the attacker gains immediate and total control over the environment. Traditional identity management often fails to address this risk, leaving excessive privileges dormant and unmonitored until they are exploited.

Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management mitigates this risk by removing permanent access rights. Instead, users are eligible for privileged roles but must request activation to use them. This activation can be gated by approval workflows, multifactor authentication requirements, and time limits (e.g., access expires after 4 hours).

This approach ensures that high-value permissions are only active during specific maintenance windows and are fully audited. Security teams can review access history to see exactly who activated which role and why. Microsoft Entra PIM empowers organizations to enforce the principle of least privilege effectively across their Azure and Microsoft 365 environments.

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