Azure AD Setup

Note: This help topic describes new single sign-on (SSO) setup options for Azure AD. To enhance security and stability, Blackbaud has switched to a new SSO authentication service. Organizations that already use SSO will now see a New single sign-on tab on the Authentication settings page in Security and must set up new SSO connections by Oct. 31.

Microsoft Azure Active Directory (AD) is a multi-tenant, cloud-based identity management system. To set up an SSO connection that uses an Azure AD to enable users to sign in to Blackbaud solutions through an identity provider (IdP), an organization admin (or another user with the necessary admin rights) must claim the organization's email domains, configure the primary domain, test the connection, and then turn on Azure AD.

To prevent inadvertent lockouts, make sure to:

  • Complete the setup during a maintenance window for your organization's network.

  • Create a Blackbaud ID outside of your claimed domains with access to the Authentication settings page in Security.

Warning: If the Azure AD/Entra ID email property for a user doesn't match the user's Blackbaud ID email address, then that user can't access Blackbaud solutions. If your organization needs to rely on user primary names (UPN) for other integrated systems outside of Blackbaud ID, don't use Azure AD for SSO. Instead, use OpenID Connect and manually map the UPN field to return to Blackbaud ID. For more information, see OpenID Connect (OIDC) Setup.

Tip: If you are migrating an existing Azure AD SSO connection, we already pulled over any domains you previously claimed from your existing connection. To complete the process, all you have to do is test the SSO connection to verify that your organization can use your IdP to sign in to Blackbaud solutions.

For detailed guidance on the steps that are necessary when setting up an SSO connection that doesn't inherit previously claimed domains or configuration settings, see the following instructions.

After you save your SSO configuration settings and turn off test mode, an Erase all single sign-on settings option appears after the SSO configuration steps. This option allows you to clear your configuration settings and start over. For example, you can select Erase all single sign-on settings if you need to select a different connection method or start over after you troubleshoot an issue. The option is only available after you save your configuration settings in step 2 and turn off test mode in step 3. When you turn on SSO, the option is no longer available, but you can turn off SSO to make it available again. For more information, see Single Sign-on Setup