What you need to know
- The Azure VPN Client just entered public preview on macOS.
- It will support RADIUS authentication for OpenVPN protocol, among other items.
- With the client, users will be able to use conditional access, multi-factor authentication, and more.
Azure's been on a hot streak in the news lately. Whether it's helping Mars produce Twix in as high-tech of a manner as possible or making its Azure Static Web Apps service generally available, Microsoft's vast cloud operation continues to expand in every direction imaginable. Today's expansion takes the form of the Azure VPN Client for macOS entering public preview.
Here's what the official Microsoft announcement has to say about the client:
"We are announcing public preview of Azure VPN Client for macOS with support for native Azure AD, certificate-based, and RADIUS authentication for OpenVPN protocol. Native Azure AD authentication support is highly desired by organizations as it enables user-based policies, conditional access, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for P2S VPN. Native Azure AD authentication requires both Azure VPN gateway integration and the Azure VPN Client to obtain and validate Azure AD tokens. With the Azure VPN Client for macOS, customers can use user-based policies, Conditional Access, as well as Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) for their Mac devices."
In short, this is a notable security gain for macOS users wanting to get in on the Azure action. MFA and conditional access are helpful and essential for folks who place a premium on cyber protections. However, do note that the preview is only available in the United States at the moment.
You can download the client and learn how to configure it for macOS at Microsoft's site.
