Identity Management

What is Zoho Directory? — India 2026 Identity Platform Guide

Zoho Directory is Zoho's identity and access management (IAM) platform — a directory service that provides Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), device trust, and centralised user provisioning for businesses on the Zoho ecosystem and 100+ integrated SaaS apps.

Zoho Directory is the identity backbone for Zoho One and Zoho ecosystem deployments. It consolidates: user identity (one identity across Zoho CRM, Books, People, Desk, etc.), SSO via SAML 2.0 and OIDC to 100+ external apps (Slack, AWS, Salesforce, Microsoft 365), MFA enforcement (TOTP, push, security keys), device-based trust (block access from unmanaged devices), automated provisioning via SCIM. Pricing: free for Zoho One customers; ~₹120/user/month standalone. For Indian businesses on Zoho One, Zoho Directory replaces the need for separate Okta or Microsoft Entra ID licenses.

Industries served: Zoho One customers, Indian SMBs and mid-market on Zoho ecosystem, Cost-conscious Indian businesses needing IAM

Related terms: Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication, Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, SCIM Provisioning

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Zoho Directory free with Zoho One?

Yes — Zoho Directory is included free with Zoho One subscription. For Indian businesses already paying ₹1,500/employee/month for Zoho One, this saves separate IAM license cost (Okta ~₹250-1,500/user/month, Microsoft Entra ID P1 included in M365 E3+). Substantial cost savings for Indian Zoho-shop businesses.

Can Zoho Directory replace Microsoft Entra ID or Okta for Indian businesses?

For Zoho-ecosystem businesses, yes. Zoho Directory provides SSO, MFA, SCIM provisioning, device trust — covering most enterprise IAM needs. For businesses heavily on Microsoft 365 + Windows infrastructure, Microsoft Entra ID has tighter integration with Active Directory and Windows. For multi-cloud businesses needing best-in-class IAM, Okta remains the gold standard but at premium price. Pick based on your primary cloud ecosystem.

What apps does Zoho Directory integrate with?

100+ pre-built integrations: Slack, AWS, Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft 365 (partial), Google Workspace, GitHub, Atlassian (Jira/Confluence), Asana, Trello, Notion, Zoom, Dropbox, Box. Plus custom SAML 2.0 / OIDC integration for any app that supports those standards. For Indian SMBs, this covers 95% of typical SaaS stack.

Does Zoho Directory support device trust and conditional access?

Yes. Configure rules: only allow access from managed devices (Zoho Endpoint Central), block access from specific countries/IP ranges, require stronger MFA for sensitive applications. For Indian businesses, this enables conditional access patterns similar to enterprise IAM at no extra cost beyond Zoho One subscription.

How do I migrate from Microsoft Entra ID to Zoho Directory?

Three steps: (1) Export user list from Entra ID (PowerShell or Admin Center), (2) Import users to Zoho Directory (CSV upload), (3) Reconfigure SAML SSO on each connected app to point to Zoho Directory instead of Entra. Plan 2-4 weeks for typical 50-100 user environment. Note: this only makes sense for businesses fully consolidating to Zoho ecosystem — otherwise keep Entra ID.

Free Zoho Directory setup for Indian businesses on Zoho One — SSO + MFA + device trust.