Zoho Directory is the identity and access layer of Zoho One. It is where an organisation manages its users, groups, applications, sign-in security, and, with the right set-up, the devices people use. This article gives an overview of what Zoho One includes for Directory, based on Zoho's Zoho One plan details, and points to our guides on the individual topics. Features and limits change, so check them against your own subscription.
The point to remember about devices: mobile device management is included for 25 devices by default. Zoho's plan details say that if you manage more than 25 devices, the cost applies to all the devices, starting from the first one. Plan device numbers carefully before you switch it on.
What Zoho Directory includes in Zoho One
| Feature |
What it covers |
| Admin panel | One place to administer the organisation. |
| Single sign-on | Users sign in once to reach their applications. |
| Active Directory sync | Connects to a Microsoft Active Directory, so existing accounts can be kept in step. |
| Centralised user management | Add, change, and remove users from one place. |
| Domain management | Add and verify the organisation's domains. |
| Conditional app assignment | Give people access to applications according to conditions, not one by one. |
| Custom fields | Hold extra information about users. |
| Usage statistics and reports | See how the organisation uses its applications. |
| Telephony | Listed among the Directory features. |
| Support | 24 hours a day, five days a week. |
Application management
Directory manages access to four kinds of application: Zoho apps, custom apps built in Zoho Creator, mobile apps, and Directory apps.
Security policies and groups
- Multi-factor authentication. The methods listed are biometric factors (Touch ID and Face ID), SMS, time-based one-time passwords, QR code scanning, push notifications, and Yubikey.
- IP restriction, to limit where people can sign in from.
- Password policy.
- Groups, with customisable group management and customisable security policies, so different groups can be held to different rules.
Application and device management
Zoho One includes two levels of device control.
| Level |
What is included |
| Mobile application management (MAM) | Unlimited devices. Automatic distribution of Zoho One apps only, to a user's device or to a group. Every type of device enrolment. Device actions: remote lock, corporate wipe, and clear passcode. |
| Device authentication | One device per employee licence. |
| Mobile device management (MDM) | 25 devices by default, with all MDM features: device enrolment, profile management, app management, security management, asset management, email management, and reports and audit. |
The difference matters. Application management controls Zoho One apps on a person's device. Device management controls the device itself, which is a bigger responsibility and is where the 25-device pricing note applies.
Our guides on Zoho Directory
Zoho One admin guides that use Directory
Several Directory features are covered step by step in our Zoho One section:
What this does not tell you
- The pricing for devices beyond the first 25. Zoho states only that the cost applies from the first device.
- Which single sign-on standards and which applications outside Zoho are supported, and any limits on them.
- Data centre availability, or whether a feature differs between Zoho One editions.
- What the telephony feature does in Directory. It is listed without description.
Check these against your own account, or ask us, before you rely on them for a client.
Setting it up well: our advice
This section is our own advice, not Zoho's.
- Secure the administrators first. Switch on multi-factor authentication for everyone with admin rights before you roll it out to staff, and prefer app-based or hardware methods to SMS where you can.
- Verify your domain early, because several admin actions depend on it.
- Use groups and conditional app assignment so access follows a person's role, and joiners and leavers do not need setting up app by app.
- Be careful with IP restriction. It protects against sign-ins from unexpected places, but it can lock out staff who work from home, travel, or use mobile networks. Test it with a small group first, and keep an administrator who can change it.
- Decide whether you need device management at all. Application management may be enough. If you do need it, count the devices and compare the cost with the 25-device threshold before you enrol anyone.
- Tell staff what device management can do. Remote lock, clearing a passcode, and wiping corporate data on personal devices raise privacy questions, so agree a policy and explain it before enrolment.
- Write a leaver process, covering account removal, device actions, and who takes over their data.
Need help? As a Zoho Partner serving the UK and Ireland, we can set up Zoho Directory for your organisation: domains, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, groups, and a sensible device policy. Email
zoho@1cloudconsultants.com or
raise a support request with 1 Cloud Consultants.