If you are still relying on on-premises Active Directory for your identity management, especially because you still need to access applications or resources on-premises relying on Windows authentication, you are probably synchronizing your AD with Entra ID.
Most likely, you are using Entra Connect Sync to sync your on-premises directory with Entra.
Well, you need to start preparing for moving from Entra Connect to Entra Cloud Sync as Microsoft is now planning to deprecate Entra Connect Sync.
The main difference between Entra Connect Sync and Entra Cloud Sync is Cloud Sync is basically running in the cloud with agents deployed on servers on-premises, providing fault tolerance in case one of the agent is no longer available with synchronization management from the Entra ID portal.
Starting July 2026, customers using Entra Connect Sync will be notified through M365 Message Center, Entra Connect Health and emails about their individual transition timeline.
- Initial phases: In the first waves, we will focus on tenants for whom Entra Cloud Sync already meets all their identity synchronization needs. If your organization relies on advanced features or has a large directory, you will not be among the initial targeted groups. We will prioritize early transitions for customers with straightforward configurations that are fully supported by Entra Cloud Sync’s current capabilities.
- Subsequent phases: As Entra Cloud Sync’s capabilities expand, we will progressively notify the later groups and ensure they can transition successfully once equivalent support is available in Entra Cloud Sync.
Start preparing today by reviewing your synchronization configuration and follow the migration steps available here Migrate Microsoft Entra Connect to Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn