Microsoft Entra to Add New People Administrator Role
The new People admin role will be available to Entra customers this month.
Published: Feb 03, 2025
Key Takeaways:
- Microsoft Entra is adding a new People administrator role to securely delegate people-related task.
- This role reduces security risks by limiting access to only necessary profile management tasks.
- This feature will be available by default to all Entra customers later this month.
Microsoft is about to add a new People administrator role in Microsoft Entra, allowing organizations to securely delegate people-related tasks. This update helps streamline user management while minimizing security risks associated with high-level admin roles.
In Microsoft Entra ID, built-in roles offer pre-defined permissions for efficient access control, but they don’t always match common user management scenarios that are often delegated across multiple departments.
With this release, enterprise admins will be able to assign the new People admin role to users through the Entra Portal and Microsoft 365 Admin Center. These users will be able to update profile photos for all users, including IT admins. Users will also be able to update settings related to pronouns, name pronunciation, profile card settings, and photo update settings for all users.
“Developed from customer feedback, this role will provide dedicated permissions for managing people-related settings and profile photos without needing the high privileges of Global admin or User admin roles,” the company explained on the Microsoft 365 admin center. “By limiting access to necessary settings, it reduces risks associated with higher privilege roles and aligns with user jobs focused on people administration.”
What are the benefits of the new People administrator role?
Microsoft mentioned that the new People admin role will offer several benefits to organizations. It allows customers to assign specific tasks to People admins without granting them excessive permissions. People admins will also be able to implement updates and improvements that enhance user profiles and settings.
This feature enables organizations to avoid relying on highly privileged roles for routine tasks. It helps to reduce the risk of security breaches and ensure that sensitive permissions are only necessary.
Microsoft expects to make this new People administrator role available to all Entra customers later this month. This feature will be available by default and it will not require any administrative action.