Entra ID is the new name for Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service. This rebranding, announced in July 2023, is part of Microsoft’s broader Entra product family, which focuses on securing access to digital resources and managing identities in a comprehensive way. The change from Azure AD to Entra ID did not alter the core functionality but signified its integration into a larger suite of identity and security products under the Microsoft Entra umbrella.
These types of name changes are always problematic for documentation teams at Microsoft partners. We must decide when (and indeed if) to change the nomenclature – users often continue to use the old names for a while (in the case of NetScaler, many users never stopped using the original name) and of course it takes a while for product GUIs to reflect the changes.
In the case of renaming Azure AD to Entra ID it makes a lot of sense to us in the documentation team. While working through the backlog of Azure AD documentation and content that needs to be updated to reflect the name change, I’ve found some of the updates and Microsoft strategy around the rebrand genuinely interesting. As a writer, I’ve found that the tone and associations of the language changes around the rebrand have added insights. Here are some thoughts about the changes.
What is Entra ID?
Let’s cover the basics. Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) is a cloud-based service that provides organizations with features including:
- Identity and Access Management (IAM): It helps manage user identities and controls access to apps, services, and resources securely.
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Users can sign in once and gain access to various applications without needing to log in repeatedly.
- Conditional Access: IT admins can define policies that grant or restrict access based on conditions such as user location or device status.
- Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Adds an additional layer of security by requiring two or more verification methods for access.
- B2B and B2C services: Enables organizations to manage external partners (B2B) and consumer-facing apps (B2C).
- Seamless integration with Microsoft 365 and other Azure services: It powers authentication and access control for Microsoft services such as Outlook, Teams, SharePoint and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD).
From a documentation perspective, Azure AD content has historically been very similar to that of on-prem Active Directory – mostly described as a directory of users (somewhat like a legacy paper telephone number book). The language and workflows documented usually describe human users and how they log onto services such as virtual desktops.
How Entra ID Has Evolved Since the Azure AD Rebranding
Since Azure AD was rebranded as Entra ID, the evolution has been more about expanding Microsoft’s vision for a unified identity and access solution rather than changing the core technology. Here are a few ways in which Entra ID has evolved:
#1 – Integration with Microsoft Entra Suite
Entra ID is now part of the larger Microsoft Entra family, which includes additional new identity-related products such as:
- Entra Permissions Management: Helps organizations manage permissions across cloud environments – including multi-cloud environments and non-Microsoft clouds, e.g. AWS / Google’s GCP. See: Microsoft Entra Permissions Management | Microsoft Security. The terminology around “permissions” and “identities” moves away from just users to include workloads. Identities are things that might be users or workloads, things that perform actions and request and consume resources across cloud infrastructures.
- Entra Verified ID: Offers decentralized identity capabilities, enabling users to control their digital identities securely. See: Microsoft Entra Verified ID | Microsoft Security. Entra Verified ID supports passwordless authentication technologies such as biometric verification (facial / selfie recognition – Face Check) and FIDO2 security keys.
- Entra Workload ID: Provides identity and access management for cloud workloads, such as apps and virtual machines. See: Microsoft Entra Workload ID | Microsoft Security for more details.
I found that the language and workflows around Entra Workload ID demonstrate why a move away from the concept of an “Active Directory” of “users” towards language around “ID” makes sense. The documentation around Entra Workload ID introduces concepts around human entities (customers, employees, partners), and non-human entities (workloads, apps, devices).
#2 – Broader Focus on Identity Security
Microsoft has also shifted its focus from just managing users and access to a more holistic identity security approach. Entra ID is now a core component of this strategy, providing stronger security controls such as:
- Zero Trust architecture: Enforces least-privilege access policies and continuous verification of user identities, devices, and applications.
- AI-powered threat detection: Built-in AI capabilities help detect and mitigate identity threats.
#3 – Simplified Branding and “Not Just for Azure” Messaging
By renaming Azure AD to Entra ID, Microsoft aimed to simplify branding and align its identity management solutions under a single unified name. This will hopefully make it easier for customers to understand the broader scope of Entra’s offerings. The change also emphasizes that identity is now central to securing cloud resources, hybrid environments, and remote workforces.
It also makes it clear that Entra ID is suitable for use with non-Azure based environments and non-Microsoft technologies. For example, Entra ID can be used to access Google Workspaces and Google Cloud – see: Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) user provisioning and single sign-on | Cloud Architecture Center | Google Cloud.
The more general umbrella of “Entra” makes far more sense than “Azure” branding when the product and services can be used in scenarios with no links to or dependencies upon Azure. Azure AD always had played a critical role in identity management across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, as well as software-as-a-service apps and remote work scenarios so the “Azure” label never did make complete sense.
#4 – Continued Support and Feature Enhancements
While the name has changed, the features and functionalities remain the same, ensuring continuity for organizations already using Azure AD. Additionally, Microsoft continues to enhance Entra ID with new capabilities, such as:
- Improved self-service identity management tools.
- Enhanced monitoring and reporting to give IT admins more visibility into identity risks.
You can find the release notes detailing recent enhancements for Entra ID, here: What’s new? Release notes – Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn.
Why the Rebranding Matters
The rebranding of Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) to Entra ID signifies Microsoft’s vision to make identity security more central to enterprise strategies in cloud-first, containerized and hybrid IT environments. Azure AD was probably primarily seen as a directory service of human users for Microsoft 365, AVD and Azure; Entra ID now signals that the service is part of a much broader identity and access management solution, focusing on modern security frameworks like Zero Trust.
By integrating into the Microsoft Entra suite, Entra ID now fits into a more expansive portfolio of products aimed at managing not only users but also permissions, workloads, non-human entities and decentralized identities, addressing the growing complexity of identity in cloud, microservices and hybrid IT landscapes.
For more details and Microsoft’s own take on the rebrand – see: New name for Azure Active Directory – Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Learn.
Final Thoughts from a Technical Writer’s Perspective
As eG Enterprise is one of the most popular choices for monitoring Azure AD / Entra ID, we have a vast library of content and documentation covering how to monitor and troubleshoot AD. I can only apologize that it will take us a little while to update it all!
At least in this case, as a documentation team, we can see value in the change. It is the rebranding initiatives purely for marketing purposes that make documentation writers weep.
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