Microsoft Entra when combined with Active Directory delivers strong controls for identities, apps, and networks — but it stops short of protecting the data itself. FileFlex Zero Trust Data Access (ZTDA) fills this gap by enforcing file-level security, auditing every access, and extending Microsoft’s model to both Microsoft and non-Microsoft storage across hybrid environments. Together, they deliver complete Zero Trust coverage from identity to data.

Extending Microsoft Entra to Protect Your Data with Zero Trust Data Access

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Introduction: Closing the Data Gap in Your Microsoft Entra Strategy

As organizations adopt Microsoft Entra and Microsoft Active Directory to secure identities, applications, and networks, they gain robust Zero Trust controls for authentication and access—but a critical gap remains: the data itself. While Entra and Active Directory protect who can log in and what apps or network resources they can reach, they don’t fully govern how users interact with files and folders once inside the system. FileFlex Zero Trust Data Access (ZTDA) fills this gap by extending Zero Trust principles to the data layer, providing continuous, granular control, monitoring, and auditability across both Microsoft and non-Microsoft storage environments. This ensures that sensitive information is protected from insider threats, compromised accounts, ransomware, and unauthorized sharing—without disrupting existing infrastructure.

What is Microsoft Entra?

Microsoft Entra is a family of Microsoft identity and network access products built to support a Zero Trust security model, ensuring every access request is verified before granting entry to resources. At its core is Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), the cloud-based identity and access management service that provides authentication, single sign-on (SSO), conditional access, identity protection, and device sign-in. Other key offerings include Entra Domain Services for managed LDAP/Kerberos in the cloud, Entra External ID for customer and partner access, and Entra Workload ID for securing non-human identities like apps and services.

The Entra suite also includes enhancements such as ID Protection for risk detection, ID Governance for automating identity lifecycles, Internet Access and Private Access for Zero Trust network access without a VPN, and Verified ID for decentralized, verifiable digital credentials. Together, these components allow organizations to unify and secure identity, application, and network access across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.

Why Microsoft Entra Matters

Microsoft Entra unifies identity, application, and network access security in a single platform, continuously verifying users, devices, and context to support a Zero Trust model. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft and third-party apps while delivering scalability, automation, and versatile identity control for modern cloud-centric environments.

What is the Difference Between Microsoft Entra and Active Directory?

Active Directory (AD) is Microsoft’s long-standing, on-premises directory service, launched in 2000 to centrally authenticate and authorize users, groups, and devices within a corporate network. It runs on domain controllers inside the network, uses protocols like Kerberos and LDAP, integrates tightly with Windows servers and file shares, and is ideal for devices joined to the domain and connected via LAN or VPN.

Microsoft Entra—specifically Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory)—is the cloud-based evolution, built for modern, hybrid, and cloud-only environments. It delivers identity management, Single Sign-On (SSO) to thousands of SaaS apps, and Zero Trust security features like MFA, Conditional Access, and risk-based sign-ins, all without a VPN. While on-prem AD excels at managing local resources, Entra ID secures access to cloud services and remote devices, and the two often work together in hybrid identity setups, syncing accounts to cover both legacy on-prem and modern cloud needs.

Why Organizations Need Both Microsoft Entra Zero Trust and Active Directory

Microsoft Entra ID doesn’t directly manage or grant access to traditional on-premises file shares; instead, it can integrate with on-prem Active Directory via Entra Connect so that the same user identities and credentials work for both cloud services and local resources. In this hybrid setup, AD continues to handle authentication and permissions for file shares inside the corporate network, while Entra ID extends those identities to the cloud for SaaS apps, remote access, and modern security controls.

Why Enhance Microsoft Entra and AD with Zero Trust Data Access

If an organization already has Microsoft Entra and Active Directory in place, they’ve got solid identity and access controls for apps and networks — but they don’t yet have Zero Trust for the data itself.

Here are the top reasons an organization needs to add FileFlex Zero Trust Data Access (ZTDA) on top of a Microsoft Entra, AD and Network Control stack:

1. Enforce Zero Trust Beyond the Perimeter and App Layer

• • • FileFlex extends Zero Trust beyond Entra and AD by enforcing continuous, granular file- and folder-level access during a session, preventing users or attackers from freely navigating or copying allowed network files.

2. Make File Access Conditional — Even Inside the LAN

• • • FileFlex adds risk- and context-based controls to file access, enforcing policies based on user identity, role and device, even within the LAN where AD and network ACLs alone cannot.

3. Eliminate Direct Paths to Sensitive Storage

• • • FileFlex requires its file requests to go through its connector, which enforces Zero Trust Data Access policies and activity logging.

4. Secure Hybrid and Multi-Vendor Storage

• • • FileFlex helps secure hybrid and multi-vendor storage by providing a single access method for on-prem, cloud, and diverse storage systems, extending Zero Trust without data migration or altering existing shares.

5. Stop Ransomware and Data Exfiltration Mid-Session

• • • FileFlex mitigates ransomware and data exfiltration mid-session by continuously monitoring and alerting for anomalies—such as mass downloads or unusual access times, beyond what Entra, AD, or network controls provide.

6. Provide Complete, Searchable Data Access Audit Trails

• • • FileFlex provides a unified, detailed, and searchable audit trail of every file access, share, edit, and download across all hybrid storage, filling gaps left by Entra, AD, and firewall logs.

7. Align with Zero Trust Maturity Models

• • • FileFlex elevates the data pillar to the same maturity level as identity and network, enabling full alignment with NIST and CISA Zero Trust maturity models. See The Zero Trust Maturity Model and the Role of ZTDA.

Benefits of Adding Zero Trust Data Access to the Microsoft Entra Control Stack

If a company is already using Microsoft Entra, it benefits from strong identity and access controls for applications and networks—but data-level Zero Trust is still missing.  Here are the top benefits of adding FileFlex Zero Trust Data Access to the Microsoft Entra control stack:

1. Extends Zero Trust to the Data Layer

• • • FileFlex extends Zero Trust to the data layer by adding granular, file-level policy enforcement after authentication, closing Entra’s gap in controlling user actions within files and folders to limit insider threats, compromised accounts, and ransomware.

2. Secures Access to Unstructured Data Across Hybrid Storage

• • • FileFlex secures unstructured data across file shares, NAS, on-prem, and private clouds outside Microsoft’s ecosystem, delivering Zero Trust protections without migrating or duplicating data.

3. Unifies Zero Trust Policy Across Apps, Networks, and Data

• • • FileFlex provides a unified data access framework alongside Entra’s identity controls, enabling consistent policy enforcement across all storage systems and eliminating policy silos.

4. Enhances Ransomware & Data Exfiltration Defense

• • • FileFlex adds continuous monitoring, anomaly detection, and granular sharing controls to Entra, mitigating ransomware spread and blocking unauthorized data transfers even within authorized sessions.

5. Provides Better Audit, Compliance, and Governance

• • • FileFlex provides full audit trails and real-time visibility into every file interaction, giving Entra the compliance evidence needed for GDPR, HIPAA, financial and other regulations.

6. Complements a Microsoft Ecosystem Without Disrupting It

• • • FileFlex extends Entra’s Zero Trust controls to both Microsoft and non-Microsoft storage, enabling unified security without replacing existing systems.

Conclusion: Bridging the Gap Between Microsoft Entra and Data Security

In today’s hybrid and cloud-driven environments, securing identities and networks is only part of the Zero Trust equation. By adding FileFlex Zero Trust Data Access on top of Microsoft Entra and Active Directory, organizations can extend continuous, granular protection to their data, unify policy enforcement across all storage types, and gain full audit visibility. This approach not only mitigates insider threats, ransomware, and data exfiltration but also aligns the data layer with recognized Zero Trust maturity models—empowering organizations to achieve true, end-to-end Zero Trust without disrupting existing Microsoft ecosystems.

For more information on using FileFlex to complement a Microsoft ecosystem see SharePoint Under Siege: Why Zero Trust Access Is Now Critical,  Why Microsoft-Centric Security Isn’t Enough: The Case for Zero Trust Data Access, and Accelerating Digital Transformation Leveraging Zero Trust Data Access (ZTDA) in a Microsoft Ecosystem.

*Microsoft