Solution

An Entra ID Alternative For Teams Keeping On-Prem AD

For organisations that cannot put the directory in a vendor cloud. Keep Active Directory on-prem, get SSO and MFA on the same identity, and enable remote work without hybrid join or Azure AD Connect.

Why this matters

Sometimes the blocker is not the licence, it is the constraint: data localisation, CERT-In, DPDP, an air-gap requirement, or a board that will not sign off on the directory living in somebody else’s cloud.

The directory stays on your infrastructure. No synchronisation, no hybrid join, and no copy of your user objects held by a third party.
Single sign-on over OpenID Connect, OAuth2, and SAML 2.0 with TOTP multi-factor authentication (RFC 6238), run against the identity you already have.
Where you do use cloud identity, federation is available rather than mandatory. Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra ID, LDAP, and Active Directory can all be mapped to one login.
Administrative audit trails and session logging stay on your infrastructure, which is the part auditors actually ask about.
An honest note on cost: Entra ID P1 is bundled with Microsoft 365 E3 and P2 with E5, so if you are on those tiers the licence is not your saving. The hybrid-join project, Azure AD Connect as production infrastructure, and where the directory lives are the real questions.

Outcomes

The directory never leaves your estate

A defensible answer on data localisation and residency

No hybrid-join project to fund and staff

Identity that is not metered per user per month

Audit evidence held where your auditors expect it

Review your identity path with an engineer

Related ControlIT pages

VPN + Entra cost teardown Self-hosted SSO with Active Directory ControlIT vs cloud-only identity ControlIT overview Architecture Product Brochure Talk to Computer Port

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