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In 2022, we noted that Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) was in its extended support phase, giving organizations time to plan their cloud migration. Fast forward three years, and while the conversation has evolved—MIM remains a cornerstone for many hybrid identity environments.
The move from MIM is not merely a technical upgrade, but a strategic investment to secure and future-proof the organization's identity foundation.
MIM's official end-of-life is set for January 2029, as confirmed on the product lifecycle page. Many organizations have already moved to the cloud to embrace zero trust security model, while others are still exploring their transition options. Extended support remains available, and MIM continues to serve as the backbone for managing on-premises identity data in tandem with Microsoft Entra ID.
For those not ready to transition away from MIM, there’s good news: Service Pack 3 (SP3) is slated for release later this year, with substantial compatibility updates and quality-of-life improvements. Key updates include support for Windows Server 2025, SQL Server 2022, Exchange Server 2019, SharePoint Server Subscription Edition, and Azure SQL with managed identity authentication. SP3 also introduces ADFS single sign-on (claims-based authentication) to the MIM Service and Portal components.
These enhancements show Microsoft’s ongoing, if measured, investment in keeping MIM secure and operational within modern hybrid infrastructures. If history is any guide, this kind of update often extends support timelines even further, though no official announcements have been made yet.
MIM’s event-driven Portal workflows have long enabled automation triggered by attribute changes, approvals, or lifecycle events. This design principle, which once set MIM apart, is now foundational in Microsoft’s modern cloud-first identity stack.
Today, Microsoft Entra ID Governance Lifecycle Workflows (LCW), Access Packages, and Access Reviews deliver event-based provisioning and governance at a scale previously unattainable. Organizations can now orchestrate onboarding, transfers, and offboarding through cloud-native triggers that match, and in some cases surpass, MIM’s capabilities.
Meanwhile, tools like Azure Data Factory provide a way to do stateful data processing, further empowering administrators to model identity flows and transformations, echoing the familiar MIM Synchronization Engine experience. Together, Microsoft Entra and Azure components make cloud-first provisioning more viable than ever.
Where does this leave organizations still running MIM today?
Microsoft’s message is clear: MIM still matters, but its future is finite. The focus is now on Microsoft Entra’s identity governance and provisioning tools, which offer cloud-native flexibility, API extensibility, and simplified administration, features that once required custom MIM workflows and sync rules. Additional benefits to migrating include:
If you’re exploring how to replicate or modernize MIM provisioning with Microsoft Entra’s Provisioning API and related technologies, stay tuned for future installments in this blog series.
MIM continues to be a resilient, enterprise-grade identity solution, but 2025 marks a tipping point. With SP3’s modernization updates and the rapid evolution of Microsoft Entra ID Governance, organizations now have real choices: extend, coexist, or evolve.
No matter your timeline, it’s time to plan for a cloud-first identity future—not because MIM is disappearing tomorrow, but because the next generation of tools is ready for what’s next.
Request a complimentary migration consultation with a MIM and Microsoft Entra identity expert.
Yes, and if you haven’t already, you should! Microsoft Entra ID Premium now includes self-service password reset (SSPR) for both cloud and hybrid users. With password writeback enabled in Microsoft Entra Connect, users can reset both on-premises AD and cloud passwords through a unified experience. Microsoft Entra’s SSPR offers stronger MFA enforcement, more policy options, and audit integration with Microsoft Entra ID Governance.
Mostly. Microsoft Entra ID now provides dynamic and rule-based group management, replacing most MIM Portal functions. MIM can still populate attributes for dynamic cloud groups, ensuring hybrid continuity. Use Microsoft Entra Cloud Sync to write groups back to on-premises (this functionality is not in Microsoft Entra Connect).
Yes, depending on your environment. Microsoft Entra’s provisioning engine supports SaaS and on-premises apps via SCIM, Graph API, and ECMA2 connectors. It’s codeless, event-driven, and integrated with Lifecycle Workflows, covering 80–90% of MIM provisioning needs without custom code.
Partially. MIM’s sync engine excels at aggregating multiple authoritative sources. However, Microsoft Entra ID now integrates with Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, and other HR platforms. Azure Data Factory and Logic Apps enable more complex cloud data orchestration.
Yes, in most cases. Lifecycle Workflows, Access Packages, and Access Reviews now replicate many MIM’s event-based processes. For highly customized workflows, Power Automate and third-party IGA platforms can fill the gaps.
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Covering the latest thought leadership, events, and news about identity security
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