Azure AD to Microsoft Entra ID: What You Need to Know!
In a recent announcement, Microsoft revealed a significant milestone in their vision for unified secure access.
As part of this journey, they are renaming their flagship product, Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), to Microsoft Entra ID.
This blog post will delve into the details of this name change, provide context, and outline the change plan to address any questions you might have.
What is Microsoft Entra?
Microsoft Entra was introduced in May 2022 as the identity and access product family supporting Microsoft’s expanded vision for secure access.
Initially comprised of three products – Azure AD, Permissions Management, and Verified ID – the product family has now grown to include eight offerings, including ID Governance, Workload ID, and External ID.
Renaming Azure AD to Microsoft Entra ID
With Microsoft Entra’s expansion into the Security Service Edge (SSE) category and the introduction of two new products – Microsoft Entra Internet Access and Microsoft Entra Private Access – Microsoft is unifying its identity and network access portfolio under the Microsoft Entra brand.
This strategic move aims to simplify secure access experiences for Microsoft customers, enabling them to leverage the value of multicloud and multiplatform identity security seamlessly.
No Action Required from Customers
One of the key aspects emphasised in the announcement is that this name change will not impact customers.
There will be no change to the capabilities, APIs, PowerShell Cmdlets, sign-in URLs, service level agreements, Microsoft authentication libraries, developer experiences, or tooling associated with Azure AD.
Customers can rest assured that all their deployments, configurations, and integrations will continue to work seamlessly without any interruption.
Consistent Pricing and Licensing
Microsoft has maintained the pricing and licensing plans for Microsoft Entra ID, ensuring a smooth transition for existing Azure AD customers.
Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 plans will continue to include Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).
New SKU display names – Microsoft Entra ID Free, Microsoft Entra ID P1, and Microsoft Entra ID P2 – will be available from September 1, 2023.
When will this change happen?
To facilitate a smooth transition, Microsoft will begin notifying customers of the name change through the Entra, Azure, and Microsoft 365 admin portals, as well as across their websites and documentation, starting from June 20, 2023.
By the end of 2023, the name change will be implemented across all customer-facing interfaces.
