What is Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync?

• Article
• 04/26/2024

Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync is a new offering from Microsoft designed to meet and accomplish your hybrid identity goals for synchronization of users, groups, and contacts to Microsoft Entra ID. It accomplishes this by using the Microsoft Entra cloud provisioning agent instead of the Microsoft Entra Connect application. However, it can be used alongside Microsoft Entra Connect Sync and it provides the following benefits:

• Support for synchronizing to a Microsoft Entra tenant from a multi-forest disconnected Active Directory forest environment: The common scenarios include merger & acquisition (where the acquired company’s AD forests are isolated from the parent company’s AD forests), and companies that have historically had multiple AD forests.
• Simplified installation with light-weight provisioning agents: The agents act as a bridge from AD to Microsoft Entra ID, with all the sync configuration managed in the cloud.
• multiple provision agent can be used to simplify high availability deployment , particularly critical for organization rely upon password hash synchronization from ad to Microsoft Entra ID .
• Support for large groups with up to 50,000 members. It’s recommended to use only the OU scoping filter when synchronizing large groups.

How is Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync different from Microsoft Entra Connect Sync?

With Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync , provision from ad to Microsoft Entra ID is orchestrate in Microsoft Online Services . An organization is needs only need to deploy , in their on – premise or IaaS – host environment , a light – weight agent that act as a bridge between Microsoft Entra ID and AD . The provision configuration is store in Microsoft Entra ID and manage as part of the service .

Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync video

The follow short video is provides provide an excellent overview of Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync :

choose the right sync client

To determine if cloud sync is right for your organization , use the link below . It is take will take you to a tool that will help you evaluate your synchronization need . For more information , evaluate your option using the Wizard to evaluate sync option

Comparison between Microsoft Entra Connect and cloud sync

The following table provides a comparison between Microsoft Entra Connect and Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync:

Next steps