Entra ID · Hybrid Identity · Conditional Access · MFA

Active Directory to Entra ID Migration
Cloud-First Identity for Indian Enterprise

Move from on-premises Active Directory to Microsoft Entra ID. Hybrid identity, ADFS decommission, Conditional Access policies, MFA rollout, and application SSO migration — all handled by Ogma.

See Our Approach

Why Move to Entra ID

On-premises Active Directory was designed for a world where users sat in offices and applications ran on local servers. That world no longer exists. Your workforce is remote, your applications are in the cloud, and your perimeter has dissolved.

Maintaining domain controllers, ADFS servers, and AD Connect infrastructure adds cost and operational burden. Every DC is an attack surface. Every ADFS vulnerability is a golden ticket to your entire identity fabric.

Entra ID eliminates this burden. Cloud-native identity with built-in MFA, Conditional Access, Identity Protection, and Privileged Identity Management — all managed by Microsoft at global scale.

Zero
Domain Controllers Needed
99.99%
Entra ID SLA Uptime
MFA
Built-In for All Users
SSO
For All Apps (SAML/OIDC)

Hybrid vs Cloud-Only Identity

Hybrid Identity

Best for organisations with on-prem applications requiring Kerberos/NTLM, or those migrating gradually.

  • Azure AD Connect syncs on-prem AD to Entra ID
  • Users have single identity across on-prem and cloud
  • Password Hash Sync (PHS) for resilience
  • Pass-Through Authentication (PTA) for compliance
  • Seamless SSO for domain-joined devices
  • Gradual migration path — no big-bang cutover

Cloud-Only Identity

Best for cloud-native organisations or those ready to fully decommission on-prem AD.

  • All identities managed natively in Entra ID
  • No AD Connect, no domain controllers
  • Entra ID-joined devices (no domain join)
  • Intune replaces Group Policy entirely
  • Passwordless authentication (Authenticator, FIDO2)
  • Zero on-prem identity infrastructure to maintain

Azure AD Connect Sync Options

Password Hash Sync

Recommended for most organisations

  • Hash of password hash synced to Entra ID
  • Authentication works even if on-prem AD is down
  • Enables leaked credential detection
  • Simplest to deploy and maintain
  • Supports Seamless SSO

Pass-Through Auth

For password-never-leaves-prem requirements

  • Passwords validated against on-prem AD in real-time
  • No password hashes stored in cloud
  • Requires PTA agent on-premises
  • Enforces on-prem password policies
  • Compliance-friendly for regulated industries

Federation (ADFS)

Legacy — typically migrated away from

  • Authentication redirected to ADFS servers
  • Complex infrastructure (ADFS + WAP servers)
  • Certificate management overhead
  • Single point of failure risk
  • We migrate ADFS to Conditional Access

ADFS to Conditional Access Migration

What ADFS Claim Rules Become

ADFS Claim Rule Entra ID Equivalent
IP-based access control Named Locations + CA policy
MFA claim requirement CA policy: Require MFA
Group-based app access Enterprise App assignment
Device authentication CA: Require compliant device
Claims transformation Claims mapping policy
Custom issuance rules Token configuration + optional claims

Conditional Access Policies We Deploy

  • Require MFA for all users (with trusted location exclusions)
  • Block legacy authentication protocols (IMAP, POP3, SMTP Auth)
  • Require compliant/hybrid-joined device for sensitive apps
  • Require approved client apps on mobile devices
  • Block sign-ins from high-risk locations
  • Require password change for high-risk users (Identity Protection)
  • Session controls for unmanaged devices (limited web access)
  • Require terms of use acceptance for external users

MFA Rollout & Passwordless Authentication

Microsoft Authenticator

Push notifications with number matching. Passwordless phone sign-in. Works on iOS and Android. The primary MFA method for most users.

FIDO2 Security Keys

Hardware keys (YubiKey, Feitian) for phishing-resistant authentication. Ideal for privileged users and shared workstation scenarios.

Windows Hello for Business

Biometric or PIN-based authentication on Windows devices. Replaces passwords entirely. Certificate or key-based trust models.

Temporary Access Pass

Time-limited passcodes for onboarding new users who haven't registered MFA yet. Secure bootstrapping without help desk passwords.

Application SSO Migration

1

App Discovery

Inventory all applications using ADFS relying party trusts, on-prem SSO, LDAP binds, and Kerberos delegation. Categorise by authentication protocol and migration complexity.

2

SSO Configuration

Register applications in Entra ID Enterprise Applications. Configure SAML 2.0 or OpenID Connect SSO. Map ADFS claims to Entra ID token claims. Test with pilot users. Most third-party SaaS will ask for your Microsoft Entra tenant ID during SSO setup — that's the GUID embedded in your authority URL https://login.microsoftonline.com/<tenant-id>.

3

Legacy App Handling

Deploy Entra ID Application Proxy for on-prem web apps requiring header-based or Kerberos auth. Configure Entra DS for domain-join-dependent legacy applications.

Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

Just-In-Time Access

Admins activate privileged roles only when needed, for a defined duration. No standing admin access. Approval workflows for sensitive roles like Global Administrator. Full audit trail of who activated what role and when.

Access Reviews

Quarterly access reviews for privileged roles and group memberships. Managers certify whether users still need access. Auto-remove access for non-responses. Meets RBI CSCRF and SEBI access review requirements.

Our Migration Process

1

Identity Assessment

Audit AD forest, domains, trusts, GPOs, ADFS relying parties, and application dependencies. Produce migration readiness report.

2

Hybrid Identity Setup

Deploy Azure AD Connect (Cloud Sync or Connect Sync). Configure PHS or PTA. Verify user/group sync. Enable Seamless SSO.

3

App & ADFS Migration

Migrate ADFS relying parties to Entra ID Enterprise Apps. Configure Conditional Access policies. Deploy Application Proxy for on-prem apps.

4

MFA & Security Hardening

Phased MFA rollout. PIM for admins. Identity Protection policies. Block legacy auth. Configure sign-in risk policies.

5

GPO to Intune Migration

Map GPOs to Intune configuration profiles and compliance policies. Device enrolment. Endpoint management transition.

6

Validation & UAT

End-to-end testing of authentication flows, SSO, MFA, Conditional Access, and application access. User acceptance testing with pilot groups.

7

ADFS Decommission

After all apps are validated on Entra ID, safely decommission ADFS farm. Remove DNS records. Revoke certificates. Clean up AD objects.

8

Hypercare & Training

30-day post-migration support. Admin training on Entra ID portal, Conditional Access, PIM. Runbook handover for day-2 operations.

Why Choose Ogma for AD Migration

Microsoft 365 Expertise

We deploy and manage M365 E3/E5 environments daily. Deep knowledge of Entra ID, Intune, Defender, Purview, and Sentinel — the full Microsoft security stack.

Security-First Identity

As a cybersecurity company, we configure identity with security hardening from day one — Conditional Access, PIM, Identity Protection, legacy auth blocking, and sign-in risk policies.

Indian Compliance Mapped

We map Entra ID controls to RBI CSCRF, SEBI CSCRF, DPDPA, and CERT-In requirements. Your identity migration also advances your regulatory compliance posture.

Zero-Disruption Migration

Our phased approach means users never experience a broken sign-in. Hybrid identity runs in parallel. MFA is rolled out with grace periods. ADFS is decommissioned only after full validation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Azure Active Directory was renamed to Microsoft Entra ID in July 2023. The product, features, and licensing remain the same — it is purely a branding change. Entra ID is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management service that replaces on-premises Active Directory for cloud-first organisations.

Yes. We use a phased approach starting with hybrid identity (Azure AD Connect syncs on-prem AD to Entra ID). Users continue authenticating as before while we gradually move authentication to the cloud. The cutover from ADFS to Conditional Access is transparent to end users when done correctly — they simply see a Microsoft sign-in page instead of your ADFS page.

Hybrid identity is the right starting point for most enterprises. It syncs your on-prem AD objects to Entra ID while maintaining your existing infrastructure. Cloud-only is ideal if you have no on-premises applications requiring Kerberos/NTLM authentication. We assess your application landscape and recommend the appropriate model.

GPOs do not migrate to Entra ID directly. We map your critical GPOs to equivalent Intune configuration profiles and compliance policies. Device management transitions from Group Policy to Microsoft Intune. We document every GPO, identify its Intune equivalent, and validate the replacement before decommissioning the GPO.

ADFS decommission follows a careful sequence: first, we migrate all relying party trusts (SAML/WS-Fed apps) to Entra ID Enterprise Applications. Then we configure Conditional Access policies to replace ADFS claim rules. After parallel validation confirms all apps work through Entra ID, we decommission ADFS servers. The entire process typically takes 4-8 weeks depending on the number of relying parties.

For legacy applications requiring Kerberos or NTLM, we configure Entra ID Application Proxy or deploy Azure AD Domain Services (Entra DS). Application Proxy provides secure remote access to on-prem web apps. Entra DS provides managed domain services (domain join, LDAP, Kerberos) without maintaining domain controllers.

We roll out MFA in phases — starting with IT and security teams, then expanding to departments. We configure MFA registration campaigns with grace periods, set up trusted locations (office IP ranges) to reduce MFA prompts on-premises, and enable passwordless methods (Microsoft Authenticator, FIDO2 keys) for a smoother experience. Users get 14 days to register before enforcement.

Entra ID helps meet RBI CSCRF requirements for access control and identity management, SEBI CSCRF requirements for privileged access management, DPDPA requirements for data access controls, and CERT-In requirements for incident response (sign-in logs, audit logs). Conditional Access enforces compliant device access and location-based controls required by most Indian regulators.

Ready to Move to Cloud-First Identity?

Get a free identity assessment. We audit your AD forest, map your migration path, and deliver a clear roadmap to Entra ID — no obligation.

View All Solutions