Overview

Granular Delegated Admin Permissions (GDAP) is Microsoft's new security and compliance capabilities for Microsoft CSP partners like Evolve IP.  GDAP allows you to define the level of access a CSP partner has to your 365 tenant.  Microsoft's introduction of GDAP means you no longer need to give a CSP partner global admin permissions in your 365 tenant.  Instead, you work with your CSP partner to configure time-limited access rights (using Azure AD roles) in your 365 tenant.

GDAP Relationship Details

A GDAP relationship has 2 configuration items:

• The level of access to your 365 tenant, which is configured by selecting one or more Azure AD Roles

• A time limitation (in days) for the access to your 365 tenant

Additional GDAP Relationship Details

• You can have multiple GDAP relationship configurations with Evolve IP, and any other Microsoft CSP partners.

• Each GDAP relationship is time limited.  The max is 2 years (730 days).

• A GDAP relationship will automatically expire when the duration (max 2 years) has completed.

• Before expiration, email notifications will be sent 30 days, 7 days, and 1 day before the GDAP expiration date.  Emails are sent to your global administrators.  Evolve IP is also notified.

• For GDAP relationships that do not include the Global Administrator role, Microsoft supports a 6-month auto-renewal process, which Evolve IP will enable by default.

• For GDAP relationships that include the Global Administrator role, a new GDAP relationship must be created to replace the old one.

• You can terminate a GDAP relationship in your Microsoft 365 Admin Center at any time.

• Evolve IP can also terminate a GDAP relationship at any time.

GDAP Relationship Setup Overview

Here's an overview of the GDAP relationship setup process:

• You work with the Evolve IP Service Delivery or Support teams to determine:

  • The level of access to your 365 tenant by choosing one or more Azure AD Roles.

  • The time limitation (in days) for the access.  There's a minimum of 1 day and a maximum of 730 days (2 years).

• We give you a link to your Microsoft 365 Admin Center that specifies the level of access and the time limitation for the GDAP relationship.

• You click the link, and sign into your Microsoft 365 Admin Center with a user account that's a Global Administrator.

• After signing in, you review and approve the level of access and duration of the GDAP relationship request.

Minimum Level of Access

To give the Evolve IP Service Delivery & Support teams the ability to open Microsoft Premier support tickets on your behalf Microsoft requires you to approve the below Azure AD Roles, which provides us with the access we need to open the tickets.  The GDAP relationship duration should be the maximum 2 years, but if you prefer to make it shorter, that's okay with us.

• Global Reader - Can read all configuration items that a Global administrator can, but can't update anything.  Cannot view private organizational data.

• Directory Readers - Can read basic directory information. Commonly used to grant directory read access to applications and guests.

• Service Support Administrator - Can read service health information and manage support tickets.

Microsoft's Default Level of Access for New 365 Tenants

When you are provisioned a new 365 tenant by a Microsoft CSP partner like Evolve IP, that process adds the new 365 tenant to our Microsoft CSP partner portal and establishes Microsoft's default level of access using the below Azure AD roles.  If the Azure AD roles do not meet your requirements, we can work with you to create a new GDAP relationship and remove the one created by Microsoft.

Here are the default Azure AD roles associated with Microsoft's default GDAP relationship:

• Global Reader - Can read all configuration items that a Global administrator can, but can't update anything.  Cannot view private organizational data.
• Directory Readers - Can read basic directory information. Commonly used to grant directory read access to applications and guests.
• Service Support Administrator - Can read service health information and manage support tickets.
• Directory Writers - Can read and write basic directory information. For granting access to applications, not intended for users.
• License Administrator - Can manage product licenses on users and groups.
• User Administrator - Can manage all aspects of users and groups, including resetting passwords for limited admins.
• Privileged Role Administrator - Can manage role assignments in Azure AD, and all aspects of Privileged Identity Management.
• Helpdesk Administrator - Can reset passwords for non-administrators and Help Desk administrators.
• Privileged Authentication Administrator - Can access to view, set and reset authentication method information for any user (admin or non-admin).
• Cloud Application Administrator - Administrator Can create and manage all aspects of app registrations and enterprise apps except App Proxy.
• Application Administrator - Can create and manage all aspects of app registrations and enterprise apps.

Global Administrator Access

To provide support and troubleshooting for all of your 365 services the path of least resistance is to provide Evolve IP the Global Administrator role.  Here are some things to consider:

• Evolve IP will have the ability to access, view and configure your 365 services including your Azure AD.

• If Microsoft restricts our access to certain 365 services in your tenant, we may request a dedicated user account in your 365 tenant for us to use.

• Even though the global administrator role is granted to Evolve IP, Microsoft does restrict access to view and export certain datasets in your 365 tenant.

Supporting Teams Voice & Direct Routing

The below Azure AD Roles can be selected for a GDAP relationship when supporting an existing Teams Direct Routing configuration.  During a direct routing implementation additional roles may be required.

• Teams Communications Administrator - Required role for creating, managing, and viewing a Teams direct routing configuration, and for provisioning, or deprovisioning, direct routing users.  This role is also used to manage Teams voice policies, call queues, and auto attendants.

• Teams Devices Administrator - Optional role to configure and manage Teams enabled devices (desk phones, conference room devices, etc.).

• Teams Administrator- Optional role used to manage all aspects of a Teams environment including the management of a Teams direct routing configuration.  This role is required to manage Teams IP Phone policies.

• User Administrator- Optional role for creating and managing Azure AD users including user account license assignments & blocking user account sign ins.  This role does not have the permissions to manage MFA, or to create, modify, or disable user accounts in a local Active Directory that is synced to Azure AD.

• Licensing Administrator- Optional role for adding, removing, and updating license assignments on users & groups (using group-based licensing), and manage a user account's Usage Location.

Supporting Other 365 Services

Here's a table defining some additional Azure AD Roles that can be configured in a GDAP relationship.

GDAP Relationship Auto-Renewal

Microsoft's GDAP relationship model includes a 6-month (180 day) auto-renewal feature. which will automatically extend a GDAP relationship for 6 months upon its expiration date.

• When enabled, the GDAP relationship will auto-renew every 6 months (180 days).
• When disabled, the GDAP relationship will terminate on its expiration date.
• If a GDAP relationship has auto-renewed, and then auto-renewal is disabled, the GDAP relationship will terminate on its new expiration date.
• GDAP relationships that include the Global Administrator role cannot be auto-renewed.  A new GDAP relationship must be created.
• Evolve IP will enable the auto-renewal feature for all GDAP relationships that do not include the Global Administrator role.
• If you don't want the GDAP relationship to auto-renew, please let our Service Delivery or Support teams know.
• Alternatively, you can disable auto-renew for the GDAP relationship in your M365 Admin Center:  Settings > Partner Relationships

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Accepting a GDAP Relationship

The following section covers the requirements and the process for accepting a GDAP relationship.

GDAP Relationship Requirements

• A user account in your 365 tenant assigned the Global Administrator role.

• A unique configuration URL provided by Evolve IP to start the GDAP relationship process

GDAP Relationship Process

• Open a private/incognito browser window (Microsoft Edge is recommended)

• Paste in the configuration URL provided by the Evolve IP Service Delivery or Support teams

• Sign into your 365 tenant with a user account assigned the Global Administrator role

• Review and approve the GDAP relationship (see example screenshot below)

• Confirm the GDAP relationship (see example screenshot below)

Managing an Existing GDAP Relationship

To view and manage a GDAP relationship you must sign into your 365 tenant with a user account assigned the Global Administrator role.

• Sign into your Microsoft 365 Admin Center:  https://admin.microsoft.com

• Browse to:  Settings > Partner Relationships

  • All of your GDAP relationships are listed by partner in the Granular Delegated Administrative Privileges (GDAP) section

  • To view the details of a GDAP relationship, click on the relationship's name (see example screenshot below)

• To remove a GDAP relationship, select the Roles (tab), and click the Remove Roles button

• An email notification will be sent to Evolve IP and all of the global admin user accounts in your 365 tenant

Sign In & Audit Logs

On the partner side, GDAP comes with visibility and activity logs that illustrate the lifecycle of the GDAP relationship.  These logs are only generated on the partner side, and Microsoft is continuing to expand upon the GDAP activity items being logged.  Refer to Microsoft's GDAP Partner Activity Logs article for the latest information.

On your side, you can view partner activity in the Azure AD sign in logs & Azure AD audit logs.  Microsoft recently added the capability to view sign-ins by partners like Evolve IP who have delegated permissions. 

You can view those sign-in logs by going to the Azure AD admin portal:

• Browse to:  Azure Active Directory > Sign-In Logs

• Select: User-sign ins (non-interactive) tab

• Click on: Add Filters

• Select: Cross-Tenant Access Type

• Click: Apply

• Click on: Cross-Tenant Access Type: None Selected

• Select: Service Provider

• Click: Apply

GDAP Service Principal Identities in Azure AD

The first time a GDAP relationship is accepted, there are two Microsoft first-party service principals that get created in your Azure AD tenant.

In this context, "first-party" means that consent is implicitly provided by Microsoft at API call time and the "OAuth 2.0 Access Token" is validated on each API call to enforce role or permissions for the calling identity to managed GDAP relationships.

Partner customer delegated administration
This service principal is required at the time of the acceptance of a GDAP relationship. The Service Principal sets up the XTAP "service provider" policy and prepares permissions to allow expiration and role management. Only the GDAP SP may set or modify the XTAP policies for Service Providers.

Partner customer delegated admin offline processor
This identity is required for the entire lifecycle of the GDAP relationship, and will be automatically removed at the time the last GDAP relationship ends.  The identity's primary permission and function is to manage XTAP policies and access assignments.  A customer admin should not attempt to manually remove this identity. The identity implements functions for trusted expiration and role management. The recommended method for a customer to view or remove existing GDAP relationships is in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center as outlined in the previous section.

Frequently Asked Questions