A new civic IT hire says Microsoft Entra ID is only another name for on-premises Active Directory Domain Services. What clarification is accurate for Microsoft 365?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
On-prem AD DS is the classic local directory; Entra ID is the cloud identity platform Microsoft 365 actually signs into. Related idea, different place. Cloud IAM for M365 is the Entra ID story.
Full Explanation
Microsoft Entra ID is Microsoft’s cloud identity and access platform used by Microsoft 365 services, which is the accurate clarification when a new civic IT hire claims Entra ID is only another name for on-premises Active Directory Domain Services. Entra ID authenticates users to cloud apps, hosts cloud groups, and underpins Conditional Access and many Microsoft 365 identity scenarios. Confusing it with AD DS domain controllers leads to wrong architecture decisions for city Microsoft 365 tenants and misrouted help-desk troubleshooting.
Entra ID is not exclusively an on-premises domain controller role that replaces DNS. It is not only a SharePoint site template for city intranet branding. It is not a Microsoft 365 Apps update channel such as Current Channel.
An exam caveat is that hybrid organizations still run AD DS for on-premises resources while using Entra ID for Microsoft 365; the products can connect through hybrid identity, but they are not the same thing. Operationally, show the new hire the Entra ID admin experience for cloud users and groups, contrast it with any on-premises AD DS consoles the city still uses, and document that Microsoft 365 sign-in depends on Entra ID even when hybrid sync is present.