Atera's integration with Microsoft Entra ID enables you to import and sync your organization's users from Entra ID to Atera, keeping your Atera users effortlessly up-to-date. This integration is a secure one-way sync, where new users in Entra ID are created in Atera, and existing users are updated in Atera to match those in Entra ID. You can also initiate on-demand syncs at any time to keep your users current. 

ITD accounts can sync users either at the account level (as previously supported) or at the site level, allowing you to import and manage users per site. This provides greater flexibility for organizations that manage multiple locations or departments within a single Entra ID tenant. Additionally, ITD environments support multiple Microsoft Entra ID tenants, allowing different sites or customers to connect to separate tenants within the same Atera account.

Atera's integration with Microsoft Entra ID enables you to import and sync your customers' contacts from Entra ID to Atera, keeping your Atera contacts effortlessly up-to-date. This integration is a secure one-way sync, where new contacts in Entra ID are created in Atera, and existing contacts are updated in Atera to match those in Entra ID. You can also initiate on-demand syncs at any time to keep your contacts current.

For information about continuous syncs, see Entra ID continuous sync

Note: 

• This article provides instructions for manual import and updating of users from Entra ID for a one-time sync. However, you can re-sync at any time to keep your users updated.
• If you activated IT Autopilot for your account before 21 April 2025, and had already synced your sites, you'll need to resync them — and re-accept Microsoft's permission request — to unlock IT Autopilot’s newest cloud-based features. For more information, see Entra ID integration
• This article provides instructions for manual import and updating of contacts from Entra ID for a one-time sync. However, you can re-sync at any time to keep your contacts updated.
• If you activated Autopilot for your account before 21 April 2025, and had already synced your customers, you'll need to resync them — and re-accept Microsoft's permission request — to unlock Autopilot’s newest cloud-based features. For more information, see Entra ID integration, and follow the disconnect and the connect instructions.

Overview

• Simple, one-way sync from Entra ID to Atera.
• 100% secure. Login credentials are never saved.
• Atera Admin permissions are required.
• When Entra ID Offices/Departments are matched to Atera sites, the new users are created in Atera (if they don't already exist).
• All of a site's existing Entra ID users will automatically be created in Atera, including shared mailboxes (if they don't already exist) when connecting with Entra ID.
• Users are matched based on email addresses. If Entra ID identifies that a user already exists in Atera, then user information including first name, last name, job title, phone, and mobile phone will be updated in Atera based on Entra ID. The integration will override all the values of these fields in Atera, with their respective information from Entra ID. However, if a phone number (office or mobile) is empty in Entra but a number already exists in Atera, the number will not be removed in Atera after the synchronization has occurred.
• Users that exist in Atera, but not in Entra ID, won’t be affected.
• Any changes made in Atera to a user imported or updated from Entra ID will be overwritten during the next automatic sync.
• If the email address of a user imported or updated from Entra ID is changed in Atera, the next sync will create a new user.
• The Entra ID integration is unique to each customer. You can disconnect specific customers from the integration while keeping others connected.
• All of a customer's existing Entra ID contacts will automatically be created in Atera, including shared mailboxes (if they don't already exist) upon connecting with Entra ID.
• Contacts are matched based on email addresses. If Azure identifies that a contact already exists in Atera, then contact information including first name, last name, job title, phone, and mobile phone will be updated in Atera based on Entra ID. The integration will override all the values of these fields in Atera, with their respective information from Azure. However, if a phone number (office or mobile) is empty in Entra but a number already exists in Atera, the number will not be removed in Atera after the synchronization has occurred.
• Contacts that exist in Atera, but not in Entra ID, won’t be affected.
• Any changes made in Atera to a contact imported or updated from Entra ID will be overwritten during the next automatic sync.
• If the email address of a contact imported or updated from Entra ID is changed in Atera, the next sync will create a new contact.
• When importing contacts from Entra ID Active Directory, Atera will use the User principal name. However, you can also import users from Entra ID using their 'Email' field. As this is a behind-the-scenes process, please reach out to us so we can set it up for you.
• When importing contacts from Entra ID Active Directory, Atera will use the User principal name. However, you can also import users from Entra ID using their 'Email' field. As this is a behind-the-scenes process, please reach out to us so we can set it up for you.

User groups and user types

The Entra ID integration is configured individually for each site or customer. Each connection uses credentials specific to the Microsoft Entra ID tenant associated with that site or customer. This allows ITD environments to connect to multiple Entra ID tenants simultaneously, with each site or customer linked to its respective tenant. You will need to enter the Entra ID Admin credentials for each tenant the first time you connect.

• User Groups: In Entra ID, user groups are a way of grouping together multiple users for easy control over application access, resource management, and email distribution. 
• User types: In Entra ID, user types refer to the different types of identities that can be created and managed within the directory. Member and Guest users are the two most common user types. Members represent people inside an organization, while Guests represent people outside the organization who need access to resources protected by Entra ID. Administrators in Entra ID can control the permissions and access for both Member and Guest users.

When importing users from Entra ID to Atera, you have the option to import all users, specific user types, or only users in specific user groups. Depending on how your ITD environment is configured, the sync can be performed at the account level or individually per site.

When importing contacts from Entra ID to Atera, you have the option to import all contacts, specific user types, or only contacts in specific user groups.
Note: Atera supports up to 999 user groups when syncing with Entra ID.

Connect with Entra ID

To connect to Entra ID:

1. From Sites (on the sidebar), click New site > Import from Entra ID to sync Entra ID users with that site. 

Note: ITD accounts can configure the integration either at the account level or per site, depending on how you choose to organize your Entra ID synchronization. ITD environments support connecting to multiple Microsoft Entra ID tenants. Each site or customer can be connected to a different tenant, enabling organizations that manage multiple clients or business units with separate tenants to sync users and contacts independently.

1. From Customers (on the sidebar), select the customer you want to sync with Entra ID.

2. From the Manage contacts dropdown menu (within the Contacts tab), select Import from Entra ID.

The Connect with Entra ID Active Directory page appears.

3. Click Connect

4. Sign in to Microsoft Entra ID with your organization's Admin credentials. 

4. Sign in to Microsoft Entra ID with your customer's Admin credentials. 

Once connected, the import wizard appears. 

A confirmation message appears when the process is complete. Imported end users will have an Entra ID symbol.

Note: You may need to refresh the page to see your newly imported/updated end users.

7. Repeat these steps for each customer whose contacts you wish to import from Entra ID.

Sync on demand

Once you've connected to Entra ID at least once, you can initiate on-demand syncs at any time to keep your users up-to-date without having to re-enter the Entra ID credentials (the Microsoft authentication token is saved, allowing for a quick reconnection). For IT Department accounts configured with site-level sync, the sync is initiated individually for each site.

Once you've connected to Entra ID at least once, you can initiate on-demand syncs at any time to keep your contacts up-to-date without having to re-enter the Entra ID credentials (the Microsoft authentication token is saved, allowing for a quick reconnection).

To sync Entra ID connections: 

1. Go to the Users tab in your selected Site.

2. Click the Manage users > Import from Entra ID.

1. Go to the Contacts tab in your selected Customer.

2. Click the Manage contacts > Import from Entra ID.

The Entra ID page appears.

3. Follow steps 7-8 above to select the user groups or user types you want to import/update. 

3. Follow steps 5-6 above to select the user groups or user types you want to import/update. 

A confirmation message appears when the process is complete.

Note: You may need to refresh the page to see your newly imported/updated end users.

Disconnect from Entra ID

You can disconnect the Entra ID integration for a site at any time. Users that have already been imported to Atera will not be affected. If your ITD integration is configured per site, disconnecting will only affect the selected site.

You can disconnect the Entra ID integration for a customer at any time. Contacts that have already been imported to Atera will not be affected.

To disconnect:

1. From your selected site (in the Users tab), click the New site dropdown menu and select Import from Entra ID.

1. From your selected customer (in the Contacts tab), click the Sync contacts dropdown menu and select Manage Entra ID integration.

The Entra ID page appears.

2. Click Disconnect.

3. Click Disconnect again in the confirmation window.

The site is now disconnected from Entra ID. 

The customer is now disconnected from Entra ID.