How do we know if we need to move from entra connect to cloud connect

Question

Hi good morning

Just wondering if my organization should move from Entra Connect to Cloud Connect. Is this just a normal upgrade of product name? Or is this a new service by Microsoft?

Sorry this is very confusing.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello Adrian,

Entra Connect is part of Microsoft Entra, which is a suite of identity and access management solutions. Entra Connect is a tool used for synchronizing on-premises Active Directory with Azure AD (Azure Active Directory). This helps keep identity data consistent across your on-premises and cloud environments.

Cloud Connect isn’t a direct upgrade of Entra Connect. It's a different product in the Microsoft Entra portfolio, designed for different needs. Unlike Entra Connect, it doesn’t sync identities between on-premises and Azure AD. Instead, it focuses on managing cloud identities in Azure AD and possibly other cloud providers (for example, syncing identities across different cloud platforms).

The decision between Entra Connect and Cloud Connect is mostly based on the infrastructure status of your company.

If your organization is fully on the cloud and doesn’t rely on on-premises directories, moving to Cloud Connect might make more sense. However, if you still have on-premises systems and rely on hybrid identity, Entra Connect is still likely your best option.

It’s not just an upgrade, but more of a shift in functionality and focus depending on your organization's infrastructure needs.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/hybrid/connect/whatis-azure-ad-connect-v2

I hope this clarifies things.

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Answer 2

If you choose to migrate, see:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/hybrid/cloud-sync/migrate-azure-ad-connect-to-cloud-sync

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/hybrid/cloud-sync/tutorial-pilot-aadc-aadccp