Talking about whats different between Azure AD Join and Azure AD Hybrid Join

Azure AD (AAD) is a cloud-based identity and access management solution that provides organizations with a way to manage their user identities and access to resources. One of the key features of AAD is the ability to join devices to the AAD domain, which enables users to sign in to their devices using their AAD credentials. There are two types of AAD joins: AAD Join and AAD Hybrid Join.

In this blog post, we will explore the differences between these two join types and the advantages and disadvantages of each, along with a use case for each.

Azure AD Join

Azure AD Join is a feature that enables users to join their Windows 10 devices to the Azure Active Directory. This allows them to sign in to their devices using their AAD credentials and access resources that are managed by AAD. When a device is joined to AAD, it becomes a part of the AAD domain and can be managed using the AAD portal.

Advantages

The primary advantage of AAD Join is that it is easy to set up and manage. Users can join their devices to AAD with just a few clicks, and administrators can manage these devices from the AAD portal. AAD Join also enables users to access cloud-based resources that are managed by AAD, such as Office 365 and Azure, without the need for a VPN connection. This makes it an ideal solution for organizations that have a remote workforce or need to provide access to resources from outside the corporate network.

Use case

Let’s say you have a small business with a remote workforce. Your employees work from home or on the go and need to access resources such as email, documents, and applications from their devices. By using AAD Join, you can easily manage their devices and provide them with secure access to the resources they need, without the need for a VPN connection.

Azure AD Hybrid Join

Azure AD Hybrid Join is a feature that enables organizations to join their on-premises Active Directory domain-joined devices to the Azure Active Directory. This allows users to sign in to their devices using their AAD credentials and access resources that are managed by AAD. When a device is joined to AAD using Hybrid Join, it becomes a part of both the on-premises Active Directory domain and the AAD domain.

Advantages

The primary advantage of AAD Hybrid Join is that it allows organizations to leverage their existing on-premises Active Directory infrastructure while also taking advantage of the benefits of AAD. This means that organizations can continue to manage their devices using Group Policy and other on-premises management tools, while also enabling users to access cloud-based resources that are managed by AAD.

Use case

Let’s say you have a large enterprise with a hybrid infrastructure. Your organization has a mix of on-premises and cloud-based resources, and you need to provide your users with secure access to these resources from their devices. By using AAD Hybrid Join, you can join your on-premises Active Directory domain-joined devices to AAD, allowing your users to access both on-premises and cloud-based resources using their AAD credentials.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both AAD Join and AAD Hybrid Join are powerful tools for managing user identities and access to resources. AAD Join is easy to set up and manage and is ideal for organizations with a remote workforce. AAD Hybrid Join, on the other hand, is ideal for organizations with a hybrid infrastructure that need to provide their users with access to both on-premises and cloud-based resources. Ultimately, the decision between AAD Join and AAD Hybrid Join will depend on the specific needs and infrastructure of your organization.

If you just started your Cloud journey now that we are near of the end of Windows 10 support you might want to enable Hybrid join as a quick win. But in my opinion the end-goal should always be Azure AD only.