AZ-305 Design infrastructure solutions Practice Question
A company is planning to migrate its on-premises Active Directory to Microsoft Entra ID. They have a complex on-premises infrastructure with multiple forests and over 50,000 users. They need to synchronize identities and enable single sign-on (SSO) for Office 365. What should you recommend?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing Microsoft Entra Connect Cloud Sync with Microsoft Entra Connect Sync. Cloud Sync is a lightweight synchronization option suited to simple, small environments, while the full Sync version is required for complex, large environments such as multiple forests with 50,000+ users.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Microsoft Entra Connect Sync
Microsoft Entra Connect Sync is the appropriate tool for synchronizing identities from a complex on-premises infrastructure with multiple forests and over 50,000 users to Microsoft Entra ID. It supports full identity synchronization, password hash synchronization, pass-through authentication, and federation for SSO to Office 365, and it can handle multi-forest environments with advanced configuration options. Microsoft Entra Connect Health only monitors the synchronization infrastructure and does not perform identity synchronization.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Microsoft Entra Connect Cloud Sync
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Entra Connect Cloud Sync is unsuitable for this complex multi-forest environment with 50,000 users. It primarily supports synchronising from *disconnected* forests or smaller, less intricate single-forest setups, lacking the advanced customisation and robust multi-forest topology handling required here. It is tempting due to its lightweight, cloud-managed nature, making it ideal for scenarios prioritising simplicity and high availability in smaller, distributed environments without complex attribute flow requirements.
- ✗
Microsoft Entra Connect Health
Why it's wrong here
Microsoft Entra Connect supports multiple on-premises forests, so this is not a valid reason to eliminate it. However, the question specifies the need for full synchronization capabilities for a complex environment with over 50,000 users, which aligns with Microsoft Entra Connect Sync. The standalone 'Microsoft Entra Connect' term is ambiguous; the recommended solution is the 'Sync' version.
- ✗
Microsoft Entra ID synchronization
Why it's wrong here
This is not a specific tool; it is a generic concept.
- ✓
Microsoft Entra Connect Sync
Why this is correct
Microsoft Entra Connect Sync supports multi-forest topologies and synchronises identities from multiple on-premises forests into Microsoft Entra ID, scaling beyond 50,000 users. It also enables SSO for Microsoft 365 through password hash synchronisation or pass-through authentication.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AZ-305 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-305 exam.