?? Password Hash Synchronization vs Pass-Through Authentication.

Pass-through Authentication (PTA):

What is it? PTA allows users to sign in to both on-premises and cloud-based applications using the same passwords.

How does it work? When users sign in using their Microsoft Entra ID, PTA validates their passwords directly against the on-premises Active Directory.

Benefits:

User Experience: Users have one less password to remember.

Helpdesk Costs: Reduced IT helpdesk calls related to password issues.

Self-Service: Users can manage passwords in the cloud.

Deployment & Administration: Lightweight agent installation without complex on-premises deployments.

Security: On-premises passwords are never stored in the cloud.

Use Case: Organizations wanting to enforce their on-premises Active

Directory security and password policies often choose PTA.

Combine with: Seamless single sign-on and Microsoft Entra hybrid join for Windows 10 machines.

Password Hash Synchronization (PHS):

What is it? PHS synchronizes password hashes from on-premises Active Directory to Azure AD.

How does it work: User passwords are hashed and synced to Azure AD, allowing cloud-based authentication.

Use Case: Common choice for organizations seeking cloud authentication benefits.

Important Note: PHS doesn’t validate passwords directly against on-premises AD during sign-in.

Fallback: If you use PTA, you cannot fall back to cloud authentication.

#Authentication #AzureAD #Passhash