Decommissioning On-Prem AD: Lessons Learned from We Are Era's Successful Migration

Tobias Binkert, Head of IT at We Are Era, and Yusuke Kodama, Product Manager at Microsoft (who specialises in cloud-first identity, among many other things), join us to discuss We Are Era’s successful migration from on-premises Active Directory to a fully cloud-native Microsoft Entra ID environment.We delve into the motivations behind this significant shift with practical strategies for migrating devices using Microsoft Autopilot, modernizing applications, managing user accounts and groups in the cloud, and overcoming challenges like legacy RADIUS dependencies. Tobias shares the tangible benefits We Are Era experienced, including enhanced security, a superior user experience and increased agility for adopting new technologies.LinkedIn* Tobias Binkert - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-binkert-83844810a/ * Yusuke Kodama - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yusukekodama85/On a related note we ran a poll a few weeks ago asking what your Identity plans were for 2030 and beyond. Nearly 90% of you were looking to go Entra ID first with more than half planning to go full cloud native with Entra ID.So hopefully this episode with Tobias and Yusuke will help shed some light and help you start your journey to going cloud-first/cloud-native.Watch on YouTubePS. Can I ask a favor? If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and rating! Thank you 🙏 - Merill🔗 Related Links* Road to the cloud: Introduction* Cloud transformation posture* Establish a Microsoft Entra footprint* Implement a cloud-first approach* Transition to the cloud📗 Chapters00:00 Intro03:20 The Motivation: Why Decommission On-Prem Active Directory?06:23 Gaining Buy-In: Negotiating with Business Units09:56 The ROI & Cost Impact: Saving 70% on Infrastructure14:47 Device Migration: Tackling Windows Workstations with Autopilot25:31 Server & Application Challenges: RADIUS, Printing, and More32:06 User Accounts & Groups: The Shift to Cloud-Only Identities44:19 Addressing Security & Availability Concerns of Full Cloud49:43 Life After AD: Next Steps and Future Identity Initiatives51:45 Lessons Learned & Key Advice for Your Cloud MigrationPodcast Apps🎙️ Entra.Chat - https://entra.chat🎧 Apple Podcast → https://entra.chat/apple📺 YouTube → https://entra.chat/youtube📺 Spotify → https://entra.chat/spotify🎧 Overcast → https://entra.chat/overcast🎧 Pocketcast → https://entra.chat/pocketcast🎧 Others → https://entra.chat/rssMerill's socials📺 YouTube → youtube.com/@merillx👔 LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/merill🐤 Twitter → twitter.com/merill🕺 TikTok → tiktok.com/@merillf🦋 Bluesky → bsky.app/profile/merill.net🐘 Mastodon → infosec.exchange/@merill🧵 Threads → threads.net/@merillf🤖 GitHub → github.com/merill Get full access to Entra.News - Your weekly dose of Microsoft Entra at entra.news/subscribe