what is azure active directory

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is a cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution from Microsoft that helps organizations secure and manage identities for hybrid and multicloud environments. It is a directory and identity management service that operates in the cloud and offers authentication and authorization services to various Microsoft services like Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Azure, and cloud-based applications. Azure AD provides users with a single sign-on experience, regardless of whether their applications are cloud-based or on-premises. Some key features of Azure AD include single sign-on, multifactor authentication, passwordless and conditional access, and other features. Azure AD has a free edition that provides user and group management, on-premises directory synchronization, basic reports, self-service password change for cloud users, and single sign-on across Azure, Microsoft 365, and many popular SaaS apps. Azure AD Premium P1 is now Microsoft Entra ID P1. Azure AD is now known as Microsoft Entra ID, but the licenses and service plans remain the same—Free, P1, and P2.