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What is Azure AD Connect?

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Azure AD Connect is an on-premises Microsoft application that's designed to meet and accomplish your hybrid identity goals. If you're evaluating how to best meet your goals, you should also consider the cloud-managed solution Azure AD Connect cloud sync.

Important

Instead of upgrading to the latest version of Azure AD Connect, see if cloud sync is right for you. For more information, evaluate your options using the Wizard to evaluate sync options

Install Microsoft Azure Active Directory Connect

Azure AD Connect provides the following features:

  • Password hash synchronization - A sign-in method that synchronizes a hash of a users on-premises AD password with Azure AD.
  • Pass-through authentication - A sign-in method that allows users to use the same password on-premises and in the cloud, but doesn't require the additional infrastructure of a federated environment.
  • Federation integration - Federation is an optional part of Azure AD Connect and can be used to configure a hybrid environment using an on-premises AD FS infrastructure. It also provides AD FS management capabilities such as certificate renewal and additional AD FS server deployments.
  • Synchronization - Responsible for creating users, groups, and other objects. As well as, making sure identity information for your on-premises users and groups is matching the cloud. This synchronization also includes password hashes.
  • Health Monitoring - Azure AD Connect Health can provide robust monitoring and provide a central location in the Azure portal to view this activity.

What is Azure AD Connect

Important

Azure AD Connect Health for Sync requires Azure AD Connect Sync V2. If you are still using AADConnect V1 you must upgrade to the latest version. AADConnect V1 is retired on August 31, 2022. Azure AD Connect Health for Sync will no longer work with AADConnect V1 in December 2022.

What is Azure AD Connect Health?

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) Connect Health provides robust monitoring of your on-premises identity infrastructure. It enables you to maintain a reliable connection to Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Online Services. This reliability is achieved by providing monitoring capabilities for your key identity components. Also, it makes the key data points about these components easily accessible.

The information is presented in the Azure AD Connect Health portal. Use the Azure AD Connect Health portal to view alerts, performance monitoring, usage analytics, and other information. Azure AD Connect Health enables the single lens of health for your key identity components in one place.

What is Azure AD Connect Health

Why use Azure AD Connect?

Integrating your on-premises directories with Azure AD makes your users more productive by providing a common identity for accessing both cloud and on-premises resources. Users and organizations can take advantage of:

  • Users can use a single identity to access on-premises applications and cloud services such as Microsoft 365.
  • Single tool to provide an easy deployment experience for synchronization and sign-in.
  • Provides the newest capabilities for your scenarios. Azure AD Connect replaces older versions of identity integration tools such as DirSync and Azure AD Sync. For more information, see Hybrid Identity directory integration tools comparison.

Why use Azure AD Connect Health?

When authenticating with Azure AD, your users are more productive because there's a common identity to access both cloud and on-premises resources. Ensuring the environment is reliable, so that users can access these resources, becomes a challenge. Azure AD Connect Health helps monitor and gain insights into your on-premises identity infrastructure thus ensuring the reliability of this environment. It is as simple as installing an agent on each of your on-premises identity servers.

Azure AD Connect Health for AD FS supports AD FS 2.0 on Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019. It also supports monitoring the AD FS proxy or web application proxy servers that provide authentication support for extranet access. With an easy and quick installation of the Health Agent, Azure AD Connect Health for AD FS provides you a set of key capabilities.

Key benefits and best practices:

Key Benefits Best Practices
Enhanced security Extranet lockout trends
Failed sign-ins report
In privacy compliant
Get alerted on all critical ADFS system issues Server configuration and availability
Performance and connectivity
Regular maintenance
Easy to deploy and manage Quick agent installation
Agent auto upgrade to the latest
Data available in portal within minutes
Rich usage metrics Top applications usage
Network locations and TCP connection
Token requests per server
Great user experience Dashboard fashion from Azure portal
Alerts through emails

License requirements for using Azure AD Connect

Using this feature is free and included in your Azure subscription.

License requirements for using Azure AD Connect Health

Using this feature requires Azure AD Premium P1 licenses. To find the right license for your requirements, see Compare generally available features of Azure AD.

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