Installing NPS Server with Azure MFA for Enhanced Security

As businesses continue to rely on remote access to sensitive information, it's increasingly important to ensure that remote access is secure. One way to enhance security is to integrate Azure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) with a Network Policy Server (NPS) to provide an extra layer of security when users access network resources remotely. In this article, we will explore the steps to install NPS and configure it to work with Azure MFA.

Step 1: Prerequisites Before installing NPS, you need to have the following prerequisites:

• A Windows Server that is running the Network Policy and Access Services (NPAS) role
• An Azure subscription with Azure MFA
• An Azure MFA-enabled user account
• A VPN solution that is NPS-compatible

Step 2: Installing Network Policy and Access Services (NPAS)

1. Open the Server Manager and click on "Add roles and features."
2. In the "Add Roles and Features Wizard," select "Role-based or feature-based installation."
3. Select the server that you want to install the NPAS role on.
4. Select the Network Policy and Access Services (NPAS) role and click "Next."
5. In the Features section, select Remote Server Administration Tools and click "Next."
6. Click "Install" to begin the installation process.

Step 3: Configuring NPS

1. Open the NPS console by clicking on "Start" and typing "NPS" in the search bar.
2. Right-click on the "NPS (Local)" node and select "Register server in Active Directory."
3. In the "Active Directory Domain Services Configuration Wizard," select "Network Policy Server" and click "Next."
4. Click "Finish" to complete the registration process.

Step 4: Configuring NPS with Azure MFA

1. Open the Azure portal and navigate to the Azure MFA service.
2. Click on the "Global settings" tab and select "Extension configuration."
3. Under "Extension Configuration," click on "Add."
4. Enter a name for the new configuration and select "RADIUS" as the extension type.
5. Enter the IP address of your NPS server in the "Server IP address" field.
6. Enter the shared secret that you want to use for communication between NPS and Azure MFA.
7. Click "OK" to save the configuration.

Step 5: Configuring NPS policies

1. Open the NPS console and right-click on "Policies."
2. Select "New" and then "Network Policy."
3. Enter a name for the policy and select "Remote Access Server (VPN-Dial up)" as the policy type.
4. In the "Conditions" section, select "Windows groups" and add the group of users who should be required to use MFA when accessing network resources remotely.
5. In the "Settings" section, click on "Radius Authentication" and select "Azure MFA."
6. Select the Azure MFA extension configuration that you created earlier in Step 4.
7. In the "Advanced" section, select "Use advanced policy options" and select "Reply" in the "Attribute" column.
8. Select "Microsoft Vendor-Specific RADIUS Attributes" in the "Vendor" column.
9. Select "User-Name" in the "Attribute" column and click "Add."
10. In the "Value" column, enter the username of the Azure MFA-enabled user.
11. Click "OK" to save the policy.

Step 6: Testing the Configuration

To test the configuration, you can use a VPN client to connect to the network remotely and access network resources. When you attempt to access network resources, you will be prompted to provide additional authentication via Azure MFA.

In conclusion, integrating Azure MFA with NPS provides an extra layer of security for remote access to network resources. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily set up and configure NPS with Azure MFA. This will help to ensure that sensitive information remains secure, even when accessed remotely.