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Keep local file shares once client computers are Azure AD Joined?

David Dartnell 11 Reputation points
2023-03-25T02:27:17.1+00:00

Hi Everyone,

Currenty I have client computers (both Desktops & Laptops) connected to a Hybrid Active Directory Domain.

My client computers are Azure Active Directory (AD) registered; but not currently Azure AD joined.

I would like to start Azure AD joining my computers moving forward.

However I anticipate a challenge with accessing shared drives. Currently my shared drives are hosted on a local file server (on-prem). I must keep my data on-prem for compliance reasons.

Drive mappings are currently handled in the "traditional way" using Group Policy.

I am aware that Azure AD joining my client computers will nullify the on-prem Group Policy.

How can I go about retaining my drive mappings once I start joining client computers directly to Azure AD?

Furthermore how can locally hosted file shares be accessed over the internet?

Will I need to buy an SSL certificate and attach it to my Domain so that remote computers can find the file shares using a UNC path?

Any help here will be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Davo

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  1. Tasadduq Burney 8,431 Reputation points MVP
    2023-03-25T07:32:54.13+00:00

    You can retain your drive mappings after Azure AD join by mapping a network drive to an Azure file share using domain credentials. You can use your AD user account (Windows Explorer, Command-Line, PowerShell, etc.) to map a drive to your Azure File Share. Once the drive is mapped, make any necessary NTFS ACL Changes as-needed.

    Regarding accessing locally hosted file shares over the internet, you can create a VPN connection between your on-premises environment and Azure.

    You can also use Azure File Sync to centralize your organization’s file shares in Azure Files while keeping the flexibility, performance, and compatibility of an on-premises file server.

    You can also use Microsoft Endpoint Manager (MEM) to map a shared drive using MEM instead of Group Policy.

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