AZ-900 Certification Notes

Chapter 8.2 - Azure Active Directory

Active Directory

• Traditional Office Use
  • Active Directory was designed for traditional office use with computers and printers
• What is "Web"?
  • The web as a concept or service was not part of the design for Active Directory. Web services were not part of the original vision for Active Directory in 2000
• Authentication
  • Active Directory authentication uses services that aren't available on Azure

Active Directory is NOT Azure Active Directory. They are not the same product, they're very different. It's unlikely you can transfer knowledge from one to the other.

Azure Active Directory (AAD) Service

• Mandatory
  • You can't have an Azure account without an AAD service
• First User
  • Every Azure account needs a first user and this user is in the initial AAD instance

Tenant

• Organization
  • A tenant represents the organization
• Dedicated AAD
  • A tenant is dedicated instance of AAD that an organization receives when signing up for Azure
• Separate
  • Each tenant is distinct and completely separate from other AAD tenants
• One User - One Tenant
  • Each user in Azure can only belong to a single tenant. Users can be guests of other tenants though

Subscription

• Billing Entity
  • All resources within a subscription are billed together
• Cost Separation
  • You can have multiple subscriptions within a tenant to separate costs
• Payment
  • If a subscription isn't paid, all the resources and services associated with the subscription stop

Hybrid Cloud Architecture

In a hybrid cloud architecture, you have some services on-premises and some services hosted on Azure. When you want to setup a hybrid cloud infrastructure, AAD can help manage your users both in the cloud on Azure and on your premises.

Azure AD Now Part of Microsoft Entra

Microsoft Entra = New Product Family

• Includes all of Microsoft's identity and access capabilities
• Includes Azure AD, plus Permissions Management and Verified ID
• Exam perspective: Know that Azure AD is part of the broader Microsoft Entra product family

Exam Tips

Manage users and permissions with Azure Active Directory.

• Active Directory(AD) is not the same as Azure Active Directory
• Different skillsets from AD to Azure AD
• Every Azure account will have an Azure AD service
• A tenant is a dedicated instance of Azure AD. It represents your organization in Azure
• A user belongs to a single tenant, but can be a guest in multiple
• A subscription is a billing entity. All resources belong to a single subscription
• Azure AD can help manage users in a hybrid cloud setup