In the world of technology, change is the only constant. Microsoft, ever-evolving and in-tune with market needs, has taken a leap in redefining its identity and network access products. Say goodbye to the familiar "Azure Active Directory" and welcome "Microsoft Entra ID".
A Deep Dive into the Name Change
Why Microsoft Entra?
Azure AD has grown in features over time. At launch it was a basic identity and access management solution that supported user and group management, and sign-in. Fast-forward to today and we have MFA, Conditional Access, External Identities, PIM, Identity Governance and more!
"Microsoft Entra" is the new name of Microsoft's family of identity and network access products. Azure Active Directory has now been renamed to Microsoft Entra ID and can be considered a core product in the Entra family.
Microsoft has also moved into providing secure network access solutions and simultaneously announced two new products with the Entra brand launch: Entra Internet Access and Entra Private Access.
All up there are eight Entra products in the new family.
Why change at all?
There are a few reasons why Microsoft wanted to do this:
Clarifying Confusion: Numerous people confused Windows Server Active Directory Domain Services with Azure Active Directory. This change aims to clear up such misconceptions by creating a clear delineation between the two.
Unification: Microsoft Entra is the overarching name for a suite of identity and network access products. Microsoft Entra ID, as a core product in this suite, brings a more cohesive identity to the fore.
Multicloud and Multiplatform Functionality: The new name underscores the product's ability to function across various cloud platforms, showcasing its adaptability and breadth.
Terminology Translation Table Cheat Sheet
Wading through online sources, often with dubious levels of accuracy, to find out new names can be challenging! To help make life easier we created this handy translation table which was built directly from the official Microsoft glossary.
First up to note, the short name of AAD is now ME-ID.
Entra Product Family
Old Terminology | New Terminology |
Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) | Microsoft Entra ID |
Azure AD External Identities | Microsoft Entra External ID |
Azure AD Identity Governance | Microsoft Entra ID Governance |
Azure AD Verifiable Credentials | Microsoft Entra Verified ID |
Azure AD Workload Identities | Microsoft Entra Workload ID |
Cloud Knox | Microsoft Entra Permissions Management |
New! | Microsoft Entra Internet Access |
New! | Microsoft Entra Private Access |
SKUs and Service Plans
Old Terminology | New Terminology |
Azure Active Directory Premium P1 | Microsoft Entra ID P1 |
Azure Active Directory Premium P1 for government | Microsoft Entra ID P1 for government |
Azure Active Directory Premium P2 | Microsoft Entra ID P2 |
Azure Active Directory Free | Microsoft Entra ID Free |
Features and Functionality
Old Terminology | New Terminology |
Azure AD tenant | Microsoft Entra tenant |
Azure AD domain | Microsoft Entra domain |
Azure AD account | Microsoft Entra account |
Azure AD login | Microsoft Entra login |
Azure AD identities | Microsoft Entra identities |
Azure AD hybrid identities | Microsoft Entra hybrid identities |
Azure AD managed identities | Microsoft Entra managed identities |
Azure AD cloud-only identities | Microsoft Entra cloud-only identities |
Azure AD service principal | Microsoft Entra service principal |
Azure AD principal ID | Microsoft Entra principal ID |
Azure AD Conditional Access | Microsoft Entra Conditional Access |
Azure AD authentication | Microsoft Entra authentication |
Azure AD groups | Microsoft Entra groups |
Azure AD admin | Microsoft Entra admin |
Azure AD role | Microsoft Entra role |
Azure AD built-in roles | Microsoft Entra built-in roles |
Azure AD multifactor authentication (MFA) | Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication (MFA) |
Azure AD enterprise application | Microsoft Entra enterprise application |
Azure AD B2B | Microsoft Entra B2B |
Azure AD Connect | Microsoft Entra Connect |
Azure AD Connect Sync | Microsoft Entra Connect Sync |
Azure AD join | Microsoft Entra join |
Azure AD joined | Microsoft Entra joined |
Azure AD registered | Microsoft Entra registered |
Hybrid Azure AD Join | Microsoft Entra hybrid join |
Hybrid Azure AD Joined | Microsoft Entra hybrid joined |
Azure AD schema | Microsoft Entra schema |
Azure AD Domain Services | Microsoft Entra Domain Services |
Azure AD identity protection | Microsoft Entra ID Protection |
Azure AD object | Microsoft Entra object |
Azure AD password authentication | Microsoft Entra password authentication |
Azure AD password protection | Microsoft Entra password protection |
Azure AD Privileged Identity Management (PIM) | Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM) |
Azure AD self-service password reset (SSPR) | Microsoft Entra self-service password reset (SSPR) |
Azure AD activity logs | Microsoft Entra activity logs |
Azure AD application proxy | Microsoft Entra application proxy |
Azure AD audit log | Microsoft Entra audit log |
Azure AD OAuth and OpenID Connect | Microsoft Entra ID OAuth and OpenID Connect |
Azure AD access token authentication | Microsoft Entra access token authentication |
Azure AD pass-through authentication (PTA) | Microsoft Entra pass-through authentication |
Azure AD password hash synchronization (PHS) | Microsoft Entra password hash synchronization |
Azure AD Seamless single sign-on (SSO) | Microsoft Entra seamless single sign-on (SSO) |
A couple of examples
To help bring this to life, here are some real-work usage examples:
What you used to say | What you should now say |
"I'll create a user in Azure AD" | "I'll create a user in Microsoft Entra" |
"Make sure it's hybrid Azure AD Joined" | "Make sure it's Microsoft Entra hybrid joined" |
"Are they Federated with Azure AD?" | "Are they Federated with Microsoft Entra?" |
Final Thoughts
The introduction of the Entra product family umbrella suggests that Microsoft is very serious about gaining market position in the identity and network access space. The new product names, once everyone gets the hang of them, make for cleaner delineations of individual product capabilities within the Entra family.
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