Microsoft 365
How Microsoft Entra ID differs from on-premises Active Directory, what still depends on a domain controller, and how to evaluate eliminating one.
Reviewed 2026-08-01 by the Machina IT engineering team.
Active Directory is the on-premises directory that authenticates domain-joined machines and applies group policy inside a network. Entra ID is Microsoft's cloud identity service that authenticates users to Microsoft 365 and connected apps and enforces MFA and Conditional Access. They solve overlapping but different problems, and many environments run both.
Inventory every dependency, not the obvious ones. Then decide per dependency: migrate the workload to cloud, replace the application, or keep a minimal on-premises footprint for that specific need.
Cloud-native identity with Intune-managed devices is a strong destination, but arriving there by disabling a domain controller and finding out what breaks is an expensive method.
Common mistakes
Common questions
For many modern, cloud-first environments, yes. For environments with legacy apps, on-premises file services or domain-tied equipment, only after those dependencies are handled.
A managed cloud service that provides domain-style authentication without running your own controllers — useful for specific legacy dependencies.
We review your network, security posture, cloud tenant and recovery plan, then hand you a plain-language report of what we found and what it means for the business.
