Tutorial: Integrate Microsoft Entra ID with Kantega SSO for JIRA

Article
10/23/2023

This tutorial will walk you through the steps of configuring single sign-on for your Microsoft Entra users in Jira. To achieve this, we will be using the Kantega SSO app. Using this configuration, you will be able to:

Control which users have Jira access from Microsoft Entra ID.
Automatically sign in to Jira when you have an active Microsoft Entra session.
Manage your accounts in one central location.

Read more on the official Kantega SSO documentation.

Prerequisites

To follow this tutorial, you need:

An active Microsoft Entra subscription. You can set up a free account.
A Jira Data Center instance. You can try it for free.
Kantega SSO app for Jira from Atlassian Marketplace. You can try it for free.

Scenario description

In this tutorial, you will configure and test single sign-on with Microsoft Entra ID in a Jira test environment.

Kantega SSO supports SAML and OIDC.
Kantega SSO supports SP and IDP initiated SSO.
Kantega SSO supports Automated user provisioning and deprovisioning (recommended).
Kantega SSO supports Just-in-Time user provisioning.

Add Kantega SSO for JIRA from the gallery

To configure the integration of Kantega SSO for JIRA into Microsoft Entra ID, you need to add Kantega SSO for JIRA from the gallery to your list of managed SaaS apps.

Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a Cloud Application Administrator.
Browse to Identity > Applications > Enterprise applications > New application.
In the Add from the gallery section, type Kantega SSO for JIRA in the search box.
Select Kantega SSO for JIRA from the results panel and then add the app. Wait a few seconds while the app is added to your tenant.

Alternatively, you can also use the Enterprise App Configuration Wizard. In this wizard, you can add an application to your tenant, add users/groups to the app, assign roles, as well as walk through the SSO configuration as well. Learn more about Microsoft 365 wizards.

Configure and test Microsoft Entra SSO for Kantega SSO for JIRA

Configure and test Microsoft Entra SSO with Kantega SSO for JIRA using a test user called B.Simon. For SSO to work, you need to establish a link relationship between a Microsoft Entra user and the related user in Kantega SSO for JIRA.

To configure and test Microsoft Entra SSO with Kantega SSO for JIRA, perform the following steps:

Configure Microsoft Entra SSO - to enable your users to use this feature.
1. Create a Microsoft Entra test user - to test Microsoft Entra single sign-on with B.Simon.
2. Assign the Microsoft Entra test user - to enable B.Simon to use Microsoft Entra single sign-on.
Configure Kantega SSO for JIRA SSO - to configure the single sign-on settings on the application side.
1. Create Kantega SSO for JIRA test user - to have a counterpart of B.Simon in Kantega SSO for JIRA linked to the Microsoft Entra representation of the user.
Test SSO - to verify whether the configuration works.

Configure Microsoft Entra SSO

Follow these steps to enable Microsoft Entra SSO.

Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a Cloud Application Administrator.
Browse to Identity > Applications > Enterprise applications > Kantega SSO for JIRA > Single sign-on.
On the Select a single sign-on method page, select SAML.
On the Set up single sign-on with SAML page, click the pencil icon for Basic SAML Configuration to edit the settings.
On the Basic SAML Configuration section, if you wish to configure the application in IDP initiated mode, perform the following steps:

a. In the Identifier text box, type a URL using the following pattern: https://<server-base-url>/plugins/servlet/no.kantega.saml/sp/<UNIQUE_ID>/login

b. In the Reply URL text box, type a URL using the following pattern: https://<server-base-url>/plugins/servlet/no.kantega.saml/sp/<UNIQUE_ID>/login
Click Set additional URLs and perform the following step if you wish to configure the application in SP initiated mode:

In the Sign-on URL text box, type a URL using the following pattern: https://<server-base-url>/plugins/servlet/no.kantega.saml/sp/<UNIQUE_ID>/login

Note

These values are not real. Update these values with the actual Identifier, Reply URL, and Sign-On URL. These values are received during the configuration of the Jira plugin.
On the Set up Single Sign-On with SAML page, in the SAML Signing Certificate section, click Download to download the Federation Metadata XML from the given options as per your requirement and save it on your computer.
On the Set up Kantega SSO for JIRA section, copy the appropriate URL(s) as per your requirement.

Create a Microsoft Entra test user

In this section, you'll create a test user called B.Simon.

Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a User Administrator.
Browse to Identity > Users > All users.
Select New user > Create new user, at the top of the screen.
In the User properties, follow these steps:
1. In the Display name field, enter B.Simon.
2. In the User principal name field, enter the username@companydomain.extension. For example, B.Simon@contoso.com.
3. Select the Show password check box, and then write down the value that's displayed in the Password box.
4. Select Review + create.
Select Create.

Assign the Microsoft Entra test user

In this section, you'll enable B.Simon to use single sign-on by granting access to Kantega SSO for JIRA.

Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a Cloud Application Administrator.
Browse to Identity > Applications > Enterprise applications > Kantega SSO for JIRA.
In the app's overview page, find the Manage section and select Users and groups.
Select Add user, then select Users and groups in the Add Assignment dialog.
In the Users and groups dialog, select B.Simon from the Users list, then click the Select button at the bottom of the screen.
If you expect a role to be assigned to the users, you can select it from the Select a role dropdown. If no role has been set up for this app, you see the "Default Access" role selected.
In the Add Assignment dialog, click the Assign button.

Configure Kantega SSO for JIRA SSO

Kantega SSO can be configured to use either SAML or OIDC as SSO protocol. Choose one of the following guides:

Create Kantega SSO for JIRA test user

To enable Microsoft Entra users to sign in to Kantega SSO for JIRA, you must provision them. The application supports Just-in-Time user provisioning, automatic user provisioning using SCIM, or you can set up users manually. Read more about the different provisioning options.

Test SSO

In this section, you test your Microsoft Entra single sign-on configuration with the following options.

SP initiated:

Click on Test this application. This will redirect to Kantega SSO for JIRA Sign-on URL, where you can initiate the login flow.
Go to Kantega SSO for JIRA Sign-on URL directly and initiate the login flow.

IDP initiated:

Click on Test this application, in the Azure portal, and you should be automatically signed in to the Kantega SSO for JIRA, for which you set up the SSO.

You can also use Microsoft My Apps to test the application in any mode. When you click the Kantega SSO for JIRA tile in the My Apps, you will be redirected to the application sign-on page for initiating the login flow if configured in SP mode. If configured in IDP mode, you should be automatically signed in to the Kantega SSO for JIRA, for which you set up the SSO. For more information about the My Apps, see Introduction to the My Apps.

Next steps

Once you configure Kantega SSO for JIRA, you can enforce session control, which protects the exfiltration and infiltration of your organization's sensitive data in real-time. Session control extends from Conditional Access. Learn how to enforce session control with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.