The Zero-Trust Edge is Getting Sharper: What Admins Need to Know for Entra in Summer 2026

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Do you use Connect Sync to ensure the flow between your users on-premise is seamless? Well, if you didn't know, that seamlessness is about to have the plug pulled in Summer 2026. What does this mean? How do you prepare? In this article, I'll chat about this and what this means for organizations using Connect Sync to manage hybrid identities.

What's Happening?

Microsoft is tightening the screws. Cloud Sync will become the default strategic direction towards managing hybrid identities, and Connect Sync will be moving towards a reduced "legacy-only" role. While this isn't a hard cutoff, this signals the end of the Connect Sync service and it is important that organizations start to make the shift now to avoid the inevitable enforcement down the road.

Cloud Sync will become the secure by default engine, with Microsoft expecting organizations to adopt this baseline sooner rather than later. Albeit this will not be a complete cutover just yet, administrators will notice that new features will ship with Cloud Sync first, and even some features restricted to Cloud Sync only. Connect Sync will only get the updates required to ensure operability and security. Administrators can also expect more nudging to transition to Cloud Sync during setup.

While this is not the end of the road, this announcement signals the beginning of the end for Connect Sync.

Why Switch to Cloud Sync?

Some admins may be asking themselves: why are we being pushed towards Cloud Sync if that achieve the same goal? Well, this is not the case at all actually. When we look at what each is capable of, we see that Cloud Sync is actually much more secure and powerful than our predecessor Connect Sync:

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As you can see, there are quite a few reasons to switch. Primarily, the increase of performance and security is what I have my eye on. One thing I have disliked from the beginning with Connect Sync is that there is a privileged AD account (EntraSync) that must be used to synchronize accounts. Introducing a high blast radius should something go wrong. With Cloud Sync, this is removed entirely and the setup to get started is much more convienient and easier to do. Now, let's get your org prepared to switch!

Preparing and Transitioning to Cloud Sync

Audit Current Sync Footprint

  • Identify all Azure AD Connect servers, connectors, and forests.
  • Document which features you use: hybrid join, device writeback, PTA, password hash sync, etc.
  • Flag dependencies that tie you to Connect Sync (e.g., legacy hybrid join).

Classify Sync Scenarios

  • User & Group Sync Only -> Migrate to Cloud Sync immediately. It’s simpler, secure, and future‑proof.
  • Multi‑Forest Environment -> Deploy Cloud Sync agents per forest. No trusts, no routing, outbound‑only connectivity.
  • Hybrid Azure AD Join or Device Writeback -> Keep Connect Sync temporarily. Plan your move to Cloud Kerberos Trust as the successor.
  • Pass‑Through Authentication (PTA) or Legacy Apps -> Evaluate modern authentication alternatives (cloud‑native handlers, password hash sync).

Deploy Cloud Sync Agents

  • Install Entra Cloud Sync agents on lightweight Windows servers (no SQL required).
  • Ensure outbound internet access only: no inbound rules.
  • Use multiple agents for redundancy and load balancing.
  • Validate sync health in the Entra admin center.

Pilot and Parallel Run

  • Run Cloud Sync side‑by‑side with Connect Sync for a controlled migration.
  • Compare object counts and attribute flows.
  • Use Entra ID audit logs to confirm parity before decommissioning Connect Sync.

Update Conditional Access and Security Baselines

  • Review policies that depend on hybrid join or device writeback.
  • Transition to Cloud Kerberos Trust for device authentication.
  • Align with Zero‑Trust principles: least privilege, outbound‑only, no persistent credentials.

Communicate and Train

  • Brief your IT and security teams on the new architecture.
  • Update documentation and runbooks.
  • Emphasize that Cloud Sync is now part of the Zero‑Trust control plane, not just identity plumbing.

Decommission Legacy Components

  • Once parity is confirmed, retire Connect Sync servers.
  • Remove privileged connector accounts from AD.
  • Close inbound firewall rules.
  • Validate that all sync operations are cloud‑native.

Final Thoughts

The transition to Cloud Sync isn’t just a technical upgrade, it’s a Zero‑Trust upgrade. Every connector you retire reduces your organization’s attack surface. With Cloud Sync, this makes the process much easier.

Hopefully this article helps you to establish a clear direction and overcome some of the hurdles that may come your way. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Until next time admins!

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