> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.wirespeed.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Microsoft On-Prem Active Directory

> Active Directory integration when 100% on-premises

<Warning>
  This is only needed if your organization does not already have at least a hybrid Entra (Azure Active Directory) instance.
</Warning>

Wirespeed uses directory data to learn your organization, understand user personas when triaging alerts, and confirm metadata. This guide will help an organization with an on-premises only Active Directory instance deploy a FREE Entra (Azure Active Directory - AAD) sync instance which can be used with Wirespeed without any additional charge to your organization.

## Integration Instructions

### 1. Prepare the On-Premises Environment

1. Identify a Server to run Azure AD Connect (can be a domain-joined Windows Server, ideally 2016+).
2. Check Requirements:

* .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later
* PowerShell 5.1 or later
* Internet access from the server

3. Ensure you have an admin account in both:

* On-prem AD (for reading users/groups)
* Azure AD tenant (global admin)

### 2: Create a Free Azure AD Tenant

1. Go to [Azure Portal](https://portal.azure.com).
2. Click Azure Active Directory → Create a tenant → Azure AD (Free).
3. Enter organization name, domain, region.
4. After creation, note the tenant ID.

> Free tier supports up to 500,000 objects, enough for most customers.

### 3: Install Azure AD Connect

1. Download [Azure AD Connect](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=47594).
2. Run the installer on your chosen server.
3. Choose Customize (for more control) or Express Settings if you just need directory sync.
4. Authentication Method:

* To limit secure password storage to your on-premises instance only, choose "Pass-through Authentication"
* "Password Hash Sync" may be chosen to securely replicate hashes of passwords to Entra, but is not required for our integration

5. Connect to your **on-prem AD** and your **Azure AD tenant**.
6. Select the OUs you want to sync

* NOTE: this must include every computer and user object that Wirespeed is monitoring

7. Complete the setup and **run an initial sync**.

### 4: Verify the Sync

1. Log into Azure AD portal → Users → All Users.
2. Ensure your on-prem users appear in the cloud tenant.
3. Optional: Check that groups and metadata (like department, job title) are synced.

### 5: Maintain Sync

* Azure AD Connect syncs automatically every 30 minutes by default.
* You can force sync via PowerShell if needed:

```
Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType Delta
```

### Continue Integrations

* Continue with the [Microsoft](microsoft) integration to sync your on-premises directory via Entra to Wirespeed.
* Follow the [Microsoft Windows](microsoft-windows) integration guide to collect and send on-premises logs to Wirespeed.