May the Sync Be with You

Speakers

• Klaus Bierschenk

About this session

The era of a single synchronization engine is over. Modern identity environments have become a galaxy of synchronization, provisioning, and lifecycle management technologies and keeping them aligned is no small feat. Hybrid identity has evolved far beyond simply synchronizing Active Directory with Microsoft Entra ID. Organizations today combine multiple identity flows and provisioning mechanisms, including: * Entra Connect Sync / Entra Cloud Sync * Lifecycle Workflows * HR-driven provisioning * Application provisioning * Cross-tenant synchronization But how do these technologies fit together? Where does each approach make architectural sense? And how can organizations avoid creating a complex web of disconnected identity processes? Instead of exploring these capabilities in isolation, this session follows the identity journey of a user in a realistic enterprise scenario — from hiring and organizational changes to privileged access, external collaboration, and finally offboarding. Along the way, we will explore how different Microsoft Entra capabilities contribute to a modern identity lifecycle and how they can be combined into a sustainable architecture. Attendees will leave with a practical mental model of the Microsoft Entra synchronization and provisioning landscape, a better understanding of where each technology fits, and guidance for designing identity architectures that connect lifecycle management, provisioning, and cross-tenant collaboration.