Announcing: Visual Guard now offers full support for Microsoft Entra ID integration with PowerBuilder applications, bringing modern cloud-based identity management to your critical business systems.
Securing PowerBuilder applications in enterprise environments requires robust authentication mechanisms that balance security with user experience. As organizations migrate to cloud-based identity solutions, PowerBuilder applications often remain tied to legacy authentication methods - until now.
PowerBuilder with Active Directory and Entra ID Integration
In a significant advancement for PowerBuilder security, Visual Guard now enables seamless integration with Microsoft's complete identity ecosystem - from traditional on-premises Active Directory to Azure AD and its latest evolution, Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). This breakthrough streamlines user access with secure authentication methods while reducing credential management complexity.
Modern Identity Management for PowerBuilder
With this new capability, Visual Guard enables PowerBuilder applications to authenticate users using their existing Windows credentials in both cloud and hybrid environments. This eliminates the need for separate application-specific usernames and passwords, reducing administrative overhead and enhancing security across your organization.
By leveraging Entra ID (Microsoft's most advanced identity platform), PowerBuilder applications can now benefit from cloud-based identity management while maintaining compatibility with existing on-premises Active Directory installations - bridging legacy applications with modern security infrastructure.
Single Sign-On (SSO) for PowerBuilder Applications
SSO significantly enhances the user experience by allowing authentication without requiring additional login credentials. Once users sign into their Windows session, they can access PowerBuilder applications without re-entering their credentials.
Benefits of Windows-based SSO in PowerBuilder applications:
- Reduces password fatigue and associated security risks
- Minimizes login prompts for a smoother user experience
- Applies role-based access dynamically, ensuring users have appropriate permissions
- Simplifies compliance with security policies
Get Started with Visual Guard SSO
Role-Based Access and Permissions
Leveraging Windows Users and Groups
With Visual Guard, PowerBuilder applications can leverage Windows User and Group permissions to control access. Administrators can define access rights for specific AD/Entra ID accounts or groups, ensuring that users only see the data and functionality relevant to their roles.
Fine-Grained Permissions Control
Beyond group-level access, Visual Guard enables PowerBuilder applications to implement fine-grained permissions. This allows organizations to set specific permissions at the data or feature level, ensuring that users have access only to the information they need while maintaining security and compliance.
Advanced Security Auditing and Monitoring
Comprehensive Traceability
Visual Guard for PowerBuilder tracks important security events, such as user logins, access attempts, and permission changes. Historical logs allow administrators to analyze business trends and detect potential security threats.
Real-Time Monitoring
Real-time monitoring ensures that security-critical activities, such as permission changes, are tracked. Organizations can set alerts for suspicious events, such as access attempts at unusual hours or from unexpected locations, improving security responsiveness.
Security Compliance Reporting
Visual Guard generates detailed reports and security matrices to audit access control configurations, including user roles, permissions, and authentication history. These reports help organizations comply with industry regulations and internal security policies.
Additional Authentication Options with Visual Guard
While Windows Authentication provides seamless integration with Microsoft's identity ecosystem, Visual Guard offers additional authentication mechanisms to meet diverse security requirements:
OAuth 2.0 Authentication
For organizations requiring alternative authentication methods, Visual Guard supports OAuth 2.0 protocol integration. This enables PowerBuilder applications to authenticate against various identity providers beyond Microsoft's ecosystem, including Google, Okta, and others.
Advantages of OAuth 2.0
- Secure authentication without exposing user credentials
- Simplified integration with external identity providers
- Compliance with modern web security standards
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
As a complementary security layer to any authentication method, Visual Guard supports Multi-Factor Authentication. This helps prevent unauthorized access by requiring users to provide additional verification, such as a one-time PIN code sent via email or SMS, ensuring that even if a password is compromised, the account remains secure.
Explore Visual Guard Authentication Features
Conclusion
Implementing Windows Authentication and Single Sign-on mechanisms in PowerBuilder applications with Visual Guard represents a strategic move toward modernizing legacy applications while ensuring enterprise-grade security and compliance.
By leveraging Microsoft's latest identity platform, Entra ID, organizations can streamline user access while maintaining robust security controls. Visual Guard makes this integration straightforward, providing PowerBuilder developers with the tools they need to implement advanced security features without extensive recoding.
For organizations with specific requirements beyond Windows Authentication, Visual Guard offers complementary options like OAuth 2.0 and Multi-Factor Authentication, delivering a comprehensive security framework for PowerBuilder applications.
