Microsoft Office 365 is well-known as a cloud-based option for enterprise enablement apps. Most organizations utilizing enterprise applications, also want enterprise grade security. One way to securely leverage Office 365 is through VMware Workspace ONE integration. However, Office 365 with VMware Workspace ONE integration is not a solitary use case. Rather, the way Office 365 is set up impacts Workspace ONE integration. Today’s post identifies four common Office 365 deployment models. It compares the available models to inform decision making about Office 365 implementation.
[Related: Better Together: VMware Workspace ONE & Office 365]
Introduction to Office 365
Office 365 is an offering from Microsoft’s comprehensive cloud-based stack, the Azure platform. The Azure platform also includes the following:
The move from an on-premise infrastructure to the cloud provides the following benefits:
Office 365 is Microsoft’s cloud approach to content collaboration and email services. It provides a complete office experience…completely in the cloud! Available services include the following:
Office 365 Deployment Models
Even though companies use most of the same Office 365 services, every use case is unique. This leads to four typical deployment models for O365.
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- Master User Location – Azure Active Directory
- User Credentials – Azure Cloud user credentials
- Functionality – Delivers available Azure functionality
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- Master User Location – On-Premises Active Directory
- User Credentials – Password hash sync for user credentials
- Functionality – Delivers available Azure functionality
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- Master User Location – On-Premises Active Directory
- User Credentials – On-Premises user credentials
- Functionality – Delivers most Azure functionality
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- Master User Location – On-Premises Active Directory
- User Credentials – On-Premises user credentials
- Functionality – Delivers most Azure functionality
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Office 365 Deployment Model Components
One consideration to keep in mind when it comes to choosing an O365 deployment model, are the additional components required. The following table highlights the simplicity of the pure cloud setup as compared to the other available options. However, while simplicity is valuable, the business size paired with existing master user location dictates the feasibility of a pure cloud approach.
For example, if the existing master user location is on-premises, the pure cloud approach does not usually make sense. Instead, Azure AD Connector, Azure AD Federation, and Azure AD Pass-through provide more suitable options.
