As companies move from on-premises Active Directory to Microsoft Entra ID, network authentication needs to follow. Employees still need access to Wi-Fi and wired networks, and those connections often rely on integrations built around the existing directory.
Radiator Policy Server connects network authentication and authorisation to Entra ID, helping companies bring network access into their cloud identity strategy.
Entra ID works differently from Active Directory
Active Directory and Entra ID both manage identities, but their interfaces and authentication methods differ. Traditional AD integrations commonly rely on LDAP, Kerberos or NTLM. Entra ID uses modern authentication protocols and APIs; familiar domain capabilities such as LDAP are available through the separate Microsoft Entra Domain Services offering.
An existing network authentication configuration therefore needs more than a new server address. It needs an integration that supports Entra’s way of authenticating users and providing identity information.
Connect network access to Entra
Radiator Policy Server handles RADIUS requests from your network equipment and supports Entra ID as an authentication and authorisation backend. The integration works natively without Microsoft NPS as an intermediary.
You can choose an approach that fits your environment. Radiator’s example configurations include username and password authentication, EAP-TTLS, and certificate-based EAP-TLS with Entra authorisation. The authentication flow should be selected to match your devices and tenant policies, including any MFA requirements.
For organisations using certificates, Radiator can authenticate the connection with EAP-TLS and check Entra group membership to determine access, such as VLAN allocation. This lets you combine pre-provisioned Wi-Fi profiles with access policies based on groups already managed in Entra.
Deploy where it suits your network
Moving identity management to the cloud leaves you free to choose where your AAA service runs. Radiator can be deployed on-premises, on virtualized infrastructure, in a data center or in the cloud.
You can keep the authentication service close to your network equipment or include it in your cloud infrastructure. Your connectivity, availability and operational requirements guide the deployment.
Want to know more?
Planning a move to Entra ID or updating your network authentication? Email sales@radiatorsoftware.com or use our contact us form to discuss your requirements with the Radiator team.