Microsoft Entra Connect Masterclass

Microsoft Entra Connect Masterclass

This Masterclass goes into great detail about Microsoft Entra Connect (Azure AD Connect), and this information is not found anywhere in the Microsoft documentation that I have seen so far. It goes to the bones of Microsoft Entra Connect and gives you great insight into what’s going on underneath. I have used this product for a while, but there are some things I do where I don’t really have a good understanding of what’s going on. But this class makes it clear.

Hailemichael, Programmer/Analyst, US

Live Instructor-Led Course

attend from anywhere via Teams

£1500 / $2025 / €1725

plus VAT if applicable

Course code: A638

Available as a private course

Find out more about private training or ask us about it here.

Written by an expert team including Andreas Kjellman (formerly MIM and Azure AD Connect Program Manager for Microsoft) and diving deep beyond the wizard, our Microsoft Entra Connect (formerly Azure AD Connect) Masterclass is the only comprehensive, structured training course for this complex and powerful technology. And, unlike free information on the Internet, our courses are regularly updated.

HOW MUCH YOU DO YOU KNOW ABOUT Microsoft entra CONNECT? TAKE OUR QUICK QUIZ

Who is the Microsoft Entra Connect Masterclass for?

Our Microsoft Entra Connect Masterclass is for architects and administrators responsible for connecting their on-premises Active Directory with a Microsoft Entra ID tenant, who want to:

  • Understand what Microsoft Entra Connect can do beyond its ‘out-of-the-box’ form and investigate its many additional capabilities
  • Learn how to configure and maintain it, and which configurations are supported​

Microsoft Entra Connect is now a key part of a hybrid AD infrastructure. The “out-of-the-box” installation offers some great features, and these must be fully understood. But it’s also vital to learn about the additional configurations that are possible, and which are supported.

Having the optimal configuration for your organization will enable you to provide consistent, secure, and user-friendly authentication, as well as consistent authorization across on-premises and cloud applications through automated and reliable group management – even in complex environments, and all while minimizing the strain on your administrators and helpdesk staff.

The Microsoft Entra Connect Masterclass covers both the ‘easy’ things (installation and configuration using the wizard) and ‘harder’ things, like how provisioning and de-provisioning work, and the disaster recovery options. It has realistic hands-on labs enabling you to get a proper understanding of its capabilities in real-world scenarios.

Familiarity with AD and basic concepts of authentication will be advantageous​ – the same goes for Exchange (unless you will never use it).

Microsoft Entra Connect is based on Microsoft Identity Manager, and while we will call out similarities and differences, no prior knowledge is required – and the same goes for Microsoft Entra ID.

The training comprises presentations, discussions, demonstrations, and 22 hands-on exercises! The 10 hands-on labs – crucial to a proper understanding of the topics – have been made as realistic as possible. Students will use a real domain and fully implement Microsoft Entra Connect in various configurations. The labs are complex and reflect issues you will face in the real world. Students taking this training in the classroom get a month’s access to online videos and quizzes.

How to take the Microsoft Entra Connect Masterclass:

Training outcomes

At the end of our Microsoft Entra Connect Masterclass you’ll understand:

  • Everything you can do through the wizard, and how to extend that
  • Different authentication options – how you move from one to the other, and how they interact
  • Microsoft Entra Connect architecture and configuration, understanding and editing rules, and handling errors
  • Scheduling, statistics, basic troubleshooting, high availability, and Microsoft Entra Connect health
  • Managing Microsoft Entra Connect with PowerShell
  • Precedence, provisioning/de-provisioning, joining rules, and transformations
  • Upgrading, backup, restore and recovery options
  • Multi-forest, multi-tenant, and non-AD directory scenarios
  • Integrating cloud-based HR systems
  • What’s supported and what’s not

Post-course, you’ll have:

  • Perpetual access to the course e-manual
  • 3 weeks’ access (from the course start date) to:
    • 33 video lectures covering the entire course, and specifically designed and recorded to support online learning
    • 10 lab demos – videos of all the labs performed in class, including helpful tips. tricks and explanations to improve understanding
    • 7 revision quizzes which can be taken as many times as you like – a fun way to test your knowledge!

This course was written by Andreas Kjellman (formerly MIM and Azure AD Connect Program Manager for Microsoft), Hugh Simpson-Wells (CEO, OCG), Jimmy Andersson (MVP Enterprise Mobility) and James Cowling (CTO, OCG).

Andreas Kjellman – Hugh Simpson-Wells – Jimmy Andersson – James Cowling

This course is available: live instructor-led via Teams | private training via Teams.

Delegates on this course will learn about the product in detail and its many features through lectures, discussions, and hands-on labs. The hands-on labs are crucial to a proper understanding of the product and have been designed to be as realistic as possible.

What you will study:

  • The role of Microsoft Entra Connect and sources of identity objects and attributes, and what is synchronized
  • An overview of Microsoft Entra ID, its relationship with Microsoft 365, and the Sync, PowerShell, and Graph interfaces
  • The relationship between Microsoft Entra Connect and Microsoft Identity Manager: similarities and differences
  • Prerequisites and preparation for Microsoft Entra Connect installation, and enterprise considerations
  • Different ways of managing passwords
  • Microsoft Entra Connect architecture and configuration, understanding and editing rules, and handling errors
  • Scheduling, statistics, basic troubleshooting, high availability
  • Microsoft Entra Connect health, and recovery scenarios
  • Managing Microsoft Entra Connect with PowerShell
  • Precedence, provisioning/de-provisioning, joining rules, and transformations
  • Windows 10 with Microsoft Entra ID, and Configuration for SSO
  • Authentication scenarios: Password Sync and write-back, SSO with ADFS, Pass-Through Authentication (PTA): Seamless Single Sign-On (SSSO): advantages and disadvantages of each, troubleshooting, event logs, high availability, reliability, fall-back options, user experience, etc.
  • Upgrading Microsoft Entra Connect, importing and exporting, and documenting sync rules
  • Uninstall options, and what remains after uninstall, recovering Microsoft Entra ID ownership of AD-owned objects
  • Issues around Microsoft Entra ID preferred data location and multiple Microsoft Entra ID instances
  • Handling data quality issues: duplicate UPN, duplicate proxy addresses
  • Hybrid Exchange issues and limitations
  • Non-AD scenarios, cloud HR
  • Multi-Forest Issues and Configurations: adding new AD connector vs reinstall, joining, filtering

Modules:

  • Module 1: Overview of AD, Microsoft Entra ID, and Microsoft Entra Connect
  • Module 2: Concepts: identities, objects, attributes, and synchronization
  • Module 3: Relationship between Microsoft Entra Connect and MIM
  • Module 4: Microsoft Entra Connect scenarios
  • Module 5: Microsoft Entra Connect architecture and custom installation
  • Module 6: Data flow: attributes and transformations
  • Module 7: Data flow: objects and orchestration
  • Module 8: Authentication options
  • Module 9: Maintenance and operations
  • Module 10: More scenarios and other considerations

Our Microsoft Entra Connect Masterclass is for architects and administrators responsible for connecting their on-premises Active Directory with a Microsoft Entra ID tenant who want to:

  • Understand what Microsoft Entra Connect can do beyond its ‘out-of-the-box’ form and investigate its many additional capabilities
  • Learn how to configure and maintain it, and which configurations are supported​

Familiarity with AD and basic concepts of authentication will be advantageous​ – the same goes for Exchange (unless you will never use it).