About local authentication

Local authentication in N-able N-central is a method of verifying user identities using credentials that are stored directly within the N-central server, rather than relying on an external identity provider (for example, Microsoft Entra ID or Active Directory).

How it works

• An administrator creates a local user account within N-central.

• The user logs in using their username and password.

• N-central compares the credentials against its local user database.

Examples of use

• As a primary method in small deployments or isolated networks

• As a fallback when centralized SSO (Entra ID, LDAP) is unavailable

• For emergency access or service accounts that should not rely on third-party providers

Considerations

• Less scalable than federated identity systems like Entra ID or LDAP

• Requires manual user management (add, disable, password reset)

• Should be secured with MFA to prevent unauthorized access