Introduced a year ago, the Microsoft Entra product family of identity and access solutions has expanded to meet the requirements for permissions management, identity governance, external identities, workload identities, and decentralised identity solutions.
Beginning in mid-August 2023, the new identity will roll out to all Microsoft services.
Customers are not required to act; developer tools and Azure benefits are unaffected.
Customers presently using or deploying Azure AD in their organisations can continue to use the service uninterrupted. Existing deployments, configurations, integrations, and all capabilities and features will continue to operate normally.
Microsoft is not modifying any code that could affect functionality to ensure a seamless transition. Existing authentication URLs, APIs, PowerShell cmdlets, and libraries within the Microsoft identity platform for developers, such as the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL), will not be modified.
All licencing plans, pricing, and SLAs for Azure AD and Microsoft 365 plans that include Azure AD remain the same; only the display identities of the service plans are changing.
On October 1, 2023, the display identities of SKUs and Service Plans will change.
Microsoft suggests that customer-facing content and experiences be updated with the “Microsoft Entra ID” title by the end of 2023, and we will publish guidelines for content creators, developers, and IT departments.
Arnav SharmaMicrosoft MVPMCT
Microsoft Certified Trainer · Cloud · Cybersecurity · AI
I help organisations secure their cloud infrastructure and stay ahead of evolving cyber threats. Microsoft MVP and Certified Trainer, author of Mastering Azure Security, and founder of arnav.au — a platform for practical Cloud, Cybersecurity, DevOps and AI content.
Microsoft Entra ID is the new name for Azure AD, which was introduced as part of the expanded Microsoft Entra product family of identity and access solutions. The renaming reflects Microsoft's broader strategy to offer comprehensive solutions for permissions management, identity governance, external identities, workload identities, and decentralized identity solutions.
The rollout of the new identity began in mid-August 2023 across all Microsoft services. The display identities of SKUs and Service Plans officially changed on October 1, 2023, and Microsoft recommended that customer-facing content be updated with the new name by the end of 2023.
No, customers are not required to take any action. Existing deployments, configurations, integrations, and all capabilities will continue to operate normally without interruption. The transition is seamless, and all existing authentication URLs, APIs, PowerShell cmdlets, and libraries remain unchanged.
No, all licensing plans, pricing, and SLAs for Azure AD and Microsoft 365 plans remain exactly the same. Only the display identities of the service plans are changing; there are no changes to the underlying benefits or costs.
No, developer tools and Azure benefits are completely unaffected by the rename. APIs, PowerShell cmdlets, the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL), and other developer tools within the Microsoft identity platform will not be modified and will continue to work as before.
