Smart Summary
Microsoft Entra Connect synchronizes on-premises Active Directory with Microsoft Entra ID, creating a unified identity framework for both local and cloud services.
The platform supports multiple authentication methods, including Password Hash Synchronization, Pass-through Authentication, and Federation, catering to various security needs.
Writeback features, such as password and group writeback, allow changes to be synchronized between environments, while filtering capabilities optimize data management.
Pairing Entra Connect with a robust third-party backup solution ensures point-in-time recovery and protects against potential data loss from sync errors or misconfigurations.
Managing identities across on-prem and cloud setups can be chaotic, especially with sprawling teams and scattered systems. Microsoft Entra Connect steps in to streamline the mess, syncing your local directory with Entra ID for smooth access and tight IT control. It’s a powerful bridge, but knowing exactly how it fits into your stack is key to unlocking its full potential.
This article explains Microsoft Entra Connect, what it does, and why it matters to your organization.
What is Microsoft Entra Connect?
If you manage identities across both on-premises and cloud environments, Microsoft Entra Connect is essential for creating a unified identity system. It links your on-premises Active Directory with Microsoft Entra ID, allowing users to access both local and cloud services using a single set of credentials. This simplifies access control, eliminates duplicate accounts, and enhances the overall user experience.
The platform enables centralized identity management, so you can enforce consistent security policies across all systems, no matter where users or applications reside. This is especially valuable for European enterprises dealing with hybrid infrastructures across multiple countries and compliance zones.
Microsoft Entra Connect ensures seamless synchronization of users, groups, and other directory objects between environments. It supports Password Hash Synchronization, Pass-through Authentication, and Federation with AD FS, giving you flexible options to align with your security strategy. Writeback features and filtering capabilities let you sync only the data you need, while changes like password resets flow back to the on-premises directory automatically.
Entra Connect also supports organizations transitioning to the cloud while still relying on legacy infrastructure. Rather than forcing a binary choice, it extends your existing identity framework into the cloud without disruption. This flexibility makes it ideal for hybrid deployments where continuity, compatibility, and gradual modernization are priorities.
For hybrid identity setups, Entra Connect allows users to access cloud services such as Microsoft 365 using their existing credentials. This reduces login-related support tickets and improves service adoption. It also supports centralized security enforcement with Conditional Access and Multi-Factor Authentication across your organization.
If you’re running a multinational operation with complex identity demands, Microsoft Entra Connect helps streamline access, reduce administrative overhead, and maintain compliance in even the most distributed environments.
For large enterprises, Entra Connect scales to support millions of objects, multiple forests, and high-availability configurations. As identity needs evolve, Microsoft is expanding Entra Connect with AI-driven automation, cloud-native features, and deeper integration with third-party backup systems like Nexetic Backup for Entra ID to meet future scalability and compliance demands.
Major Features and Capabilities of Microsoft Entra Connect
Directory Synchronization
Directory synchronization is a core feature of Microsoft Entra Connect that aligns user identities between on-premises Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID. It creates a single, unified identity per user, reducing administrative overhead and avoiding identity conflicts across environments. Synchronization runs automatically every 30 minutes but can be customized for organizations with frequent updates or compliance requirements.
The sync process covers more than just user accounts. It includes groups, contacts, organizational units, and devices, helping maintain structural integrity and enhance policies like device-based Conditional Access. With custom synchronization filters, you can fine-tune what data gets synced by domain, organizational unit, or attributes like department or location.
This selective syncing is especially important for organizations operating under strict data privacy regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Maintaining alignment between directories ensures a consistent identity framework, improves login reliability, and enables more accurate access control and reporting.
Authentication Methods
Authentication is a central component of any identity solution. With Microsoft Entra Connect, you can choose from multiple authentication methods to align with your organisation’s security posture, user experience goals, and infrastructure dependencies.
You have three core options for authenticating users between your on-premises Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID:
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Password Hash Synchronization (PHS): This method syncs the password hash (not the actual password) from your on-premises AD to Entra ID. It enables cloud authentication using the same password users already have, but without needing to query your local directory during sign-in. It supports high availability and is simple to deploy.
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Pass-through Authentication (PTA): PTA validates user credentials directly against your on-premises AD in real time. When a user signs in, the request routes through a secure agent to your AD. This ensures that the credentials never leave your network. It’s useful when your security policy requires that passwords stay exclusively on-premises.
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Federation Integration: If you already use a federated identity solution like ADFS or a third-party provider, Entra Connect integrates with it. In this setup, Entra ID redirects authentication requests to your federation service, which then validates credentials. This supports custom authentication policies and advanced scenarios like smartcard or certificate-based authentication.
Each method supports different operational models. Choosing the right one depends on your compliance needs, infrastructure readiness, and how much control you want over the authentication process.
Single Sign-On (SSO) support across all these authentication methods simplifies access by allowing users to sign in to both cloud and on-premises applications with one set of credentials. This reduces login fatigue, boosts productivity, and enhances user experience. Microsoft Entra Connect also offers authentication flexibility by letting you configure fallback methods to ensure consistent access and uptime.
As you build secure, hybrid authentication flows, it’s also worth reinforcing business continuity. Solutions like Nexetic Backup for Entra ID can act as a failsafe for your identity infrastructure. You can even start a free trial or book a quick consultation to explore how it fits into your architecture.
Writeback Features and Filtering Capabilities
Writeback and filtering features in Microsoft Entra Connect are essential for maintaining a consistent and efficient hybrid identity environment. They ensure that changes made in Microsoft Entra ID or your on-premises Active Directory stay synchronized, preserving data integrity across platforms.
Password writeback lets users reset their passwords in the cloud while syncing those updates to on-premises systems. This streamlines self-service workflows and reduces helpdesk demands. Group writeback does the same for group memberships, keeping access control consistent whether changes happen in Microsoft 365 or Active Directory.
To optimize performance, custom filtering allows you to sync only specific domains, organizational units, or object attributes. This avoids unnecessary data transfers, lightens system load, and enhances manageability. This is particularly important for large enterprises with complex directory structures.
In hybrid identity environments, these features are not optional—they’re foundational for secure, scalable operations. Without writeback and filtering, organizations face manual replication, inconsistent policies, and increased risk of identity drift.
Security, Best Practices, and Deployment Options For Microsoft Entra Connect
Properly securing and managing Microsoft Entra Connect is essential to maintaining trust and compliance in hybrid identity environments. Whether running a single domain or a complex multi-forest setup, deployment must protect sensitive data, ensure uptime, and align with regulations.
Start by installing Entra Connect on a domain-joined Windows Server with restricted administrative access. Enforce role-based access control (RBAC) to limit configuration changes to authorized personnel.
Synchronization uses encrypted communication protocols like HTTPS to protect directory data in transit. Ensure that encryption standards are current and TLS protocols are properly configured. Regularly monitor logs for anomalies, schedule security audits, and verify compliance when syncing personal data between cloud and on-prem systems.
Deployment flexibility allows you to choose between single or multi-forest configurations based on your organization’s scale and complexity. To reduce downtime, enable high availability with staging mode and backup critical sync settings, including custom rules and authentication options. Choose Express Settings for simple deployments or Custom Settings when fine-tuned control is needed over filters, authentication, and sync behavior.
Post-deployment, maintaining Entra Connect is crucial for performance and security. Always run the latest version to receive patches and enhancements, and use monitoring tools to stay ahead of failures. Document configurations, optimize sync filters, and align with Microsoft’s evolving best practices to ensure a resilient and compliant hybrid identity infrastructure.
Why Backup Still Matters in a Microsoft Entra Connect Environment
While Microsoft Entra Connect ensures synchronization between on-premises directories and Entra ID, synchronization is not the same as backup. If a user or group is accidentally deleted or a sync misconfiguration occurs, those changes are reflected across both environments, potentially resulting in data loss. That’s why having a dedicated third-party backup solution for Entra ID is critical.
Backup tools go beyond what Entra Connect offers by providing point-in-time recovery, versioning, and full rollback capabilities. This allows IT teams to restore users, groups, and configurations without depending on sync reversal or manual recreation. For organizations with strict compliance requirements, it also enables auditable, long-term retention of identity data.
In hybrid identity setups, the impact of misconfigurations, malicious changes, or insider threats can propagate rapidly. A robust backup solution helps mitigate these risks by offering isolated, secure storage independent of the sync process. This extra layer of protection ensures business continuity even when identity systems are disrupted.
Integrating third-party Entra ID backup with your Entra Connect strategy creates a resilient identity architecture. It complements synchronization and writeback by adding recovery capabilities that Microsoft’s native tools don’t fully address. For enterprises serious about uptime, compliance, and operational resilience, Nexetic Backup for Entra ID provides this essential layer, offering secure, point-in-time recovery built for regulatory demands across Europe.
If you’re ready to safeguard your identity environment with enterprise-grade backup, you can start your trial today or schedule a demo to see it in action.
Unified Identity, Enhanced Resilience: The Bottom Line
Microsoft Entra Connect is a foundational tool for hybrid identity management, enabling seamless synchronization between on-premises directories and Microsoft Entra ID. It supports secure, unified access through flexible authentication options. With features like writeback, selective filtering, and centralized control, Entra Connect helps streamline identity operations while maintaining regulatory compliance.
However, synchronization alone isn’t a safeguard against data loss or misconfigurations. For complete resilience, organizations should pair Entra Connect with a dedicated backup solution for Entra ID identity data that provides point-in-time recovery and rollback capabilities. As identity environments grow more complex, ensuring both real-time access and long-term continuity becomes essential to protecting business operations and sensitive identity data.
FAQs
What does Microsoft Entra Connect do?
It synchronizes identities between your on-premises and cloud directories, enabling users to access both environments with a single set of credentials.
What authentication methods does Microsoft Entra Connect support?
It supports Password Hash Synchronization, Pass-through Authentication, and Federation, allowing organizations to choose based on their security and infrastructure needs.
Can you filter which users are synced with Microsoft Entra Connect?
Yes, synchronization can be filtered by domain, organizational unit, or user attributes to optimize performance and reduce unnecessary data syncing.
What is password writeback in Microsoft Entra Connect?
It enables users to reset passwords in the cloud and automatically updates the on-premises directory with the new credentials.
Is Microsoft Entra Connect suitable for large enterprises?
Yes, it supports multi-forest setups, millions of users, and advanced configurations, making it well-suited for large and complex IT environments.
