Active Directory to Entra ID migration services in India

The movement to digitisation has driven companies from traditional on-premise infrastructures to using cloud-based identity management services. One of the most common modernisation processes is migrating from Active Directory (AD) to Microsoft Entra ID (previously Azure Active Directory). For enterprises in India, these improvements provide better security, scalability, and remote access capabilities, while also decreasing the complexity of their infrastructure. 

Active Directory has historically been the primary way to manage identities within enterprise environments. There are many reasons why enterprises are moving to Microsoft Entra ID, including cloud-based application use, hybrid work environments, and software as a service (SaaS) applications. Older domain controllers and directory services struggle with modern requirements when dealing with security and access. 

Due to the capabilities of Microsoft Entra ID as a cloud identity and access management platform, enterprises can achieve: Secure authentication, Centralised identity management capabilities, Seamless access to applications from multiple devices and locations. 

The Active Directory - Entra ID Migration Services in India will help transform and move an enterprise's identity infrastructure from an on-premise world to Microsoft's cloud-based identity platform in a secure and structured manner. 

What Is Active Directory to Entra ID Migration? 

Migrating from the traditional, on-premise Active Directory to/for Entra ID is a major step for organisations in the evolution of their identity management services. The ability to provide a user account, add users to groups, implement authentication policies and provide access (via) applications via a cloud-based service will help organizations support their user identity in the cloud, enabling secure access to applications regardless of whether they reside in the cloud or on an organization’s data center, as well as utilize secure (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA) and/or conditional access. 

Organisations may migrate through a number of different identity models. 

1. Hybrid Identity Deployment

Organizations use Azure AD Connect to synchronise their existing on-premise Active Directory with Entra ID. This will allow them to gradually adopt cloud-based identity management. 

2. Full Cloud Migration

Organizations will migrate all identities and authentication processes from the existing Active Directory to Entra ID, at which point the on-premise infrastructure will be decommissioned. 

Regardless of the model used, migrating to a more modern identity infrastructure - identity in the cloud - will support operational continuity for the organisation. 

Why Businesses in India Are Migrating to Entra ID 

Enterprise organisations throughout India are adopting Cloud Identity Platforms with haste; this includes IT providers, financial services, startup organizations and Global Capability Centres (GCCs). The following items have been identified as key enablers for this trend. 

1. Advanced Security Features: Microsoft Entra ID offers advanced security capabilities, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), identity protection, risk – based access policies, and threat detection; these capabilities collectively enhance security against unauthorised access and identity theft. 

2. Single Sign-On Capabilities Across Applications: All users of the cloud will interact with several applications on a daily basis. Entra ID allows users to access all business applications through one set of credentials, reducing password fatigue and enhancing employee productivity. 

3. Identity Management Translation to Cloud-Based Systems: Modern enterprise organisations have quickly transitioned to using SaaS based services like Microsoft 365, CRM systems, and other enterprise services. Entra ID centralises identity management across all of the supporting systems; this enables consistent user authentication policies. 

4. Scalable Identity Services for Growth: New expansion creates demand for an ever-increasing user population, new devices, and new applications to support them, which places tremendous demands on the identity infrastructure. Entra ID represents a scalable identity service that will scale as new additions are made without consuming physical hardware on-premises. 

5. Support for Hybrid Working Environments: The emergence of remote and hybrid working environments requires a secure method of remote access to corporate resources. Entra ID allows for remote authentication to support secure access to remote resources while also providing strong access controls. 

Key Components of AD to Entra ID Migration 

Migrating to a new system requires a phased process that involves a number of technical considerations. 

1. Evaluation of the Existing Environment: The first step in moving from one Active Directory environment to another is to evaluate your existing environment by identifying users, groups, applications, authentication protocols, and any dependencies. 

2. Identity Synchronisation Configuration: Tools like Azure AD Connect will be set up to synchronise identities from your on-premises Active Directory environment to Entra ID during the migration phase. 

3. Application Integration: Your enterprise applications that were dependent upon AD for authentication will need to be configured to use Entra ID for authentication through modern protocols, including OAuth, SAML, and Open ID Connect. 

4. User and Group Migration: All of the user accounts, permissions, and security groups will be migrated to Entra ID in order to provide seamless access to corporate systems. 

5. Security Policy Configuration: Security features, including conditional access policies, multi-factor authentication (MFA) requirements, device compliance requirements, and identity protection, will need to be implemented. 

6. Testing & Validation: You will perform pilot migrations for selected users or departments to test their authentication flow and access to applications before you perform your full cutover. 

7. Final Cutover & Optimisation: After you have completed validation, you will cutover entirely to Entra ID while also monitoring both performance and security of the new system. 

Challenges in Active Directory to Entra ID Migration 

Although migration has many benefits, organisations often encounter challenges when moving to new systems. 

1. Legacy Application Dependencies: Many legacy applications depend on older (Kerberos, NTLM, LDAP) authentication systems; thus, there may be a need to either modernise or implement additional complexity between the legacy systems and the new applications being migrated to. 

2. Complex IT Environment: Large enterprises typically have a variety of domain controllers, forests, and identity providers and must consolidate these. 

3. Downtime Risks: Poorly planned migrations can affect the user's ability to access the applications and the services they contain. 

4. Complex Security Configuration: Misconfigurations in identity policies can introduce vulnerabilities into the security of the new system. 

As a result, many organisations choose to engage with specialised migration service providers for assistance with their migrations. 

Active Directory to Entra ID Migration Services in India 

There is a well-established network in India for cloud consultancy firms, partners of Microsoft, and IT service groups providing Entra ID Migration Services. Generally, these companies provide complete services such as evaluating existing identity structures, developing migration strategy designs, deploying hybrid identity solutions, configuring Azure AD Connect and app authentication solutions, developing and configuring security policies, and providing ongoing support after the migration has been completed.  

Many companies are choosing to utilise managed services to reduce their risk of disruption as a result of identity migration and to securely transform their identity from one system to another. 

Benefits of Professional Migration Services 

5. Is it possible to run Active Directory and Entra ID together? 

There are many organisations that have adopted a hybrid identity model in which on-premises Active Directory and Entra ID are synchronised together during the transition period from on-premises to cloud-based identity services.