Microsoft announced that it is renaming its Azure Active Directory (AD) products and bringing them under the Microsoft Entra product umbrella. Microsoft launched Microsoft Entra and the Microsoft Entra admin center in 2022.
No action is needed from Azure AD users, and all configurations and integrations will continue to work as usual. Users can expect to see the Microsoft Entra ID name appearing across Microsoft portals, websites, admin centers, and other spots starting in August 2023.
How does this affect the user?
Users do not need to worry about their organization being affected by the changes aside from recognizing the new name. Azure AD will continue operating efficiently and safely while the name change occurs. Users can continue to rely on Azure AD capabilities from the Azure portal, Microsoft 365 admin center and the Microsoft Entra admin center.
What is changing?
Microsoft is only changing the name of Azure AD products to align them under the Microsoft Entra product line. No changes will be made to Azure AD capabilities, APIs, login URLs, PowerShell cmdlets, tooling and so on. All licensing plans, features and pricing for Azure AD and Microsoft 365 plans that include Azure AD will remain unchanged outside of the name change.
How the Azure AD Names are Changing
The Azure AD name change will follow this structure:
- Azure AD Free -> Microsoft Entra ID Free
- Azure AD Premium P1 -> Microsoft Entra ID P1
- Azure AD Premium P2 -> Microsoft Entra ID P2
- Azure AD External Identities -> Microsoft Entra External ID
When the new name is implemented, all Azure AD features will move under the Microsoft Entra name following the same structure. For more information, read this article from Microsoft: New Name for Azure Active Directory.
This change reflects an ongoing pursuit of unified, secure access for Microsoft customers. Microsoft has seen success with customers embracing new Microsoft Entra products while continuing to rely on Azure AD. Unifying the names will make it easier for users to navigate and use the Microsoft Entra products.
For any questions or concerns about how this might affect your business, reach out to our support team or your direct contact at Sikich.
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