Entra.Chat
Entra.Chat
Podcast Description
Entra Chat is a weekly podcast hosted by Merill Fernando and delivers practical insights for Microsoft administrators and security professionals through conversations with identity experts who've been in the trenches.
Episodes feature seasoned Entra practitioners sharing real-world deployment experiences and Microsoft Entra team members who build the features you use daily.
Get the inside track on best practices, implementation strategies, and upcoming capabilities directly from those who design and deploy Microsoft identity solutions.
Join us for actionable takeaways you can apply immediately in your Microsoft 365, Azure, and Entra environments.
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Entra.Chat, its content and opinions are my (Merill Fernando) own and do not reflect the views of my employer (Microsoft). All postings are provided “AS IS” with no warranties and is not supported by the author. All trademarks and copyrights belong to their owners and are used for identification only. entra.news
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
Focuses on Microsoft Entra, identity management, and security practices with episodes covering topics like 'From Okta to Entra: Migrating 700 Apps in 90 Days' and best practices for implementation strategies. The content emphasizes practical advice directly applicable in Microsoft 365, Azure, and Entra environments.
Entra Chat is a weekly podcast hosted by Merill Fernando and delivers practical insights for Microsoft administrators and security professionals through conversations with identity experts who’ve been in the trenches.
Episodes feature seasoned Entra practitioners sharing real-world deployment experiences and Microsoft Entra team members who build the features you use daily.
Get the inside track on best practices, implementation strategies, and upcoming capabilities directly from those who design and deploy Microsoft identity solutions.
Join us for actionable takeaways you can apply immediately in your Microsoft 365, Azure, and Entra environments.
—
Entra.Chat, its content and opinions are my (Merill Fernando) own and do not reflect the views of my employer (Microsoft). All postings are provided “AS IS” with no warranties and is not supported by the author. All trademarks and copyrights belong to their owners and are used for identification only.
In this episode, we are joined by Maqsood Bhatti, the IAM Principal Engineer at Elkjøp Nordic, who takes us through their incredible journey of migrating from the legacy NetIQ platform to Microsoft Entra.
What’s fascinating is how they accomplished this years ago, completely bypassing traditional tools like Entra Connect and adopting a “production-only” environment. Maqsood shares how they built a truly cloud-native identity solution from the ground up, leveraging custom connectors, app roles, and automating everything, including moving off the legacy platform entirely.
You’ll also hear about their advanced use of Microsoft Identity Governance, Logic Apps for custom provisioning, and a strict modern authentication policy that has shaped their identity and access management (IAM) for nearly a decade.
Watch on YouTube
PS. Can I ask a favor? If you enjoyed this episode please leave a review and rating! Thank you 🙏 – Merill
About Maqsood
Maqsood is the IAM Principal Engineer at Elkjøp Nordic, a company that was an early adopter of access automation since 2006. He has been instrumental in their journey from legacy systems like NetIQ to a modern, cloud-native Microsoft Entra infrastructure , championing innovative approaches like custom API integrations and a “prod-only” development environment.
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/maqsoodbhatti/
🔗 Related Links
* Elkjøp Nordic unngår IT-floker med storskala automatisering
📗 Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:10 Early Days & NetIQ Automation
03:34 The Journey to Public Cloud & Microsoft 365
08:23 Custom Connectors and Real-Time Sync
15:08 Embracing Azure, App Roles & Modern Auth
19:29 Password Sync & Skipping Entra Connect
22:57 Decommissioning NetIQ: Challenges & Motivations
27:27 Leveraging Entra ID Domain Services as a Bridge
33:28 Mastering App Roles & Guiding Developers
44:27 Migrating to Entra ID Governance & Logic Apps
52:57 The “Prod-Only” Philosophy & Cloud-Native Mindset
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