Authentication with Azure Active Directory through Citrix Cloud

Endpoint Management supports authentication with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) credentials through Citrix Cloud. This authentication method is available only to users enrolling in MDM through the Citrix Workspace app or Citrix Secure Hub. If Endpoint Management is Workspace enabled, users access resources from the Citrix Workspace app. If you don’t enable Citrix Workspace integration with Citrix Endpoint Management, users access resources from Secure Hub.

Devices enrolling in MAM can’t authenticate using Azure AD credentials through Citrix Cloud. To use Secure Hub with MDM+MAM, configure Endpoint Management to use Citrix Gateway for MAM enrollment. For more information, see Citrix Gateway and Endpoint Management
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Endpoint Management uses the Citrix Cloud service, Citrix identity, to federate with Azure Active Directory. Citrix recommends that you use the Citrix identity provider instead of a direct connection to Azure Active Directory.

Endpoint Management supports authentication with Azure AD for the following platforms:

• iOS and macOS devices not enrolled in the Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager
• iOS and macOS devices enrolled in the Apple Business Manager
• Android Enterprise devices (preview), for BYOD and fully managed modes

Authentication with Azure AD through Citrix Cloud has these limitations:

• Isn’t available for Endpoint Management local accounts.
• Doesn’t support authentication through Azure AD for enrollment invitations. If you send users an enrollment invitation containing an enrollment URL, users authenticate through LDAP instead of Azure AD.

Prerequisites

• Azure Active Directory user credentials
• User groups in Active Directory must match the user groups in Azure Active Directory.
• User names and email addresses in Active Directory must match those in Azure Active Directory.
• Citrix Cloud account, with Citrix Cloud Connector installed for directory services synchronization.
• Citrix Gateway. Citrix recommends that you enable certificate-based authentication for a full single sign-on experience. If you use LDAP authentication on the Citrix Gateway for MAM registration, end users experience a dual authentication prompt during enrollment. For more information, see Client certificate or certificate plus domain authentication
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• Secure Hub if Endpoint Management is not Workspace enabled.
• Citrix Workspace app if Endpoint Management is Workspace enabled. For information on enabling Citrix Workspace integration, see Workspace configuration
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• In enrollment profiles for Android Enterprise, set Allow users to decline device management to Off. If users decline device management, they can’t enroll using an identity provider to authenticate. For more information, see Enrollment security
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You can configure this feature with and without Workspace enabled.

Configuration if Endpoint Management is Workspace enabled

If you integrate Endpoint Management with Citrix Workspace, the general steps to configure authentication with Azure AD through Citrix Cloud are:

1. Configure Citrix Cloud to use Azure AD as your identity provider.
2. Configure Azure AD as the authentication method for Citrix Workspace.

Configuration if Endpoint Management is not Workspace enabled

If Citrix Workspace isn’t enabled for Endpoint Management, the general steps to configure authentication with Azure AD through Citrix Cloud are:

1. Configure Citrix Cloud to use Azure AD as your identity provider.
2. Configure Citrix identity as the IdP type for Endpoint Management.

After that configuration, Secure Hub users who are domain-joined can use Secure Hub to sign on with their Azure AD credentials. Secure Hub uses client certificate authentication for MAM devices.

Configure Citrix Cloud to use Azure Active Directory as your identity provider

To set up this service for use with the Citrix Workspace app and Secure Hub, configure Azure Active Directory in Citrix Cloud.

1. Go to https://citrix.cloud.com
   and sign in to your Citrix Cloud account.

2. From the Citrix Cloud menu, go to the Identity and Access Management page and connect to Azure Active Directory.

3. Type your administrator sign-in URL and then click Connect.

   

4. After you sign in, your Azure Active Directory account connects to Citrix Cloud. The Identity and Access Management > Authentication page shows which accounts to use to sign in to your Citrix Cloud and Azure AD accounts.

5. To enable authentication with Azure AD for users enrolling through the Citrix Workspace app and Secure Hub, under Workspace Configuration > Authentication, select Azure Active Directory. After you complete the configuration, you can enroll user devices through the Citrix Workspace app and Secure Hub.

Configure Citrix identity as the IdP type for Endpoint Management

This configuration applies only to users enrolling through Secure Hub. After you configure Azure Active Directory in Citrix Cloud, configure Endpoint Management as follows.

1. In the Endpoint Management console, go to Settings > Identity Provider (IDP) and then click Add.

2. On the Identity Provider (IDP) page, configure the following:

   • IDP Name: Type a unique name to identify the IdP connection that you’re creating.
   • IDP Type: Choose Citrix Identity Platform.
   • Authentication Domain: Choose Azure Active Directory. This domain corresponds to the Identity provider domain on the Citrix Cloud Workspace Configuration > Authentication page.

3. Click Next. On the IDP Claims Usage page, configure the following:

   • User Identifier type: By default, this field is set to userPrincipalName. Ensure that you configure all users with the same identifier in both your on-premises Active Directory and in Azure Active Directory. Endpoint Management uses this identifier to map users on the identity provider with on-premises Active Directory users.
   • User Identifier string: This field is automatically filled.

4. Click Next, review the Summary page, and then click Save.

   Secure Hub users, Endpoint Management console, and Self-Help Portal users can now sign in with their Azure Active Directory credentials.

Secure Hub authentication flow

Endpoint Management uses the following flow to authenticate users with Azure AD as an IdP on devices enrolled through Secure Hub:

1. A user starts Secure Hub.
2. Secure Hub passes the authentication request to Citrix identity, which passes the request to Azure Active Directory.
3. The user types their Azure Active Directory user name and password.
4. Azure Active Directory validates the user and sends a code to Citrix identity.
5. Citrix identity sends the code to Secure Hub, which sends the code to the Endpoint Management server.
6. Endpoint Management obtains an ID token by using the code and secret and then validates the user information that’s in the ID token. Endpoint Management returns a session ID.