Microsoft Entra ID (formerly known as Microsoft Azure Active Directory or Azure AD) is a cloud-basedidentity and access management (IAM) solution. It is a directory and identity management service that operates in the cloud and offers authentication and authorization services to various Microsoft services, such as Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Microsoft Azure, and third-party services.[1] Entra ID provides users with a single sign-on experience, called "work or school accounts",[2] regardless of whether their applications are cloud-based or on-premises.
On July 11, 2023, Microsoft announced the renaming of Azure AD to Microsoft Entra ID to improve consistency with other Microsoft cloud products.[4] The name change took place on July 15, 2023.[5]
Security
On July 14, 2025, a security vulnerability allowing a user to gain administrator privileges to every Entra ID directory was discovered. A fix was issued on July 17, 2025.[6]
Migrating devices to Microsoft Entra ID
Microsoft Entra ID supports registering and joining devices for cloud-based identity and access management; however, it does not provide native functionality for migrating existing endpoints, local user profiles, or device state from on-premises Active Directory or hybrid joined environments.
Organizations transitioning devices from on-premises Active Directory or hybrid Azure AD join to Entra ID join commonly encounter challenges such as preserving user profiles, maintaining application configurations, minimizing end-user disruption, and re-enrolling devices into modern management platforms like Microsoft Intune. As a result, organizations may use third-party migration solutions, such as Opsole Migrate or Quest, to assist with device reprovisioning and user profile transition during these migrations.
↑Bertocci, Vittorio (December 17, 2015). Modern Authentication with Azure Active Directory for Web Applications. Pearson Education (published December 13, 2015). ISBN9780735698482.
