In summary, an Azure subscription contains your virtual resources in the cloud and the corresponding management interfaces. An Entra ID tenant is about identity and access management for your users, applications, and devices. A key innovation is “resale enabled offers,” a new capability in private preview.

What is the difference between Azure AD and an Azure tenant?

Microsoft Azure, sometimes stylized Azure, and formerly Windows Azurea is the cloud computing platform developed by Microsoft. It offers management, access and development of applications and services to individuals, companies, and governments through its global infrastructure. It also provides capabilities that are usually not included within other cloud platforms, including software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), and infrastructure as a service (IaaS). Microsoft Azure supports many programming languages, tools, and frameworks, including Microsoft-specific and third-party software and systems.

• It allows customers to procure solutions through their existing, trusted relationships with cloud service providers (CSPs), simplifying the purchasing process and fostering stronger partnerships across the board.
• An Entra ID tenant is a cloud-based directory service from Microsoft.
• For years, customers navigated two distinct platforms, a legacy dating back to AppSource’s 2016 launch alongside Dynamics 365.
• If you don’t have an existing tenant for your specific development purposes, go ahead and create a new one.
• Although there are some rather important decisions you need to make when creating a new or additional Entra ID tenant including from which portal to start, the process is relatively quick and painless.

Can non-admin users create tenants?

At launch, the platform introduces a dedicated “AI Apps and Agents” category, immediately populating it with more than 3,000 new AI-powered solutions from Microsoft’s partner ecosystem. The marketplace provides a secure and scalable mechanism to ensure all acquisitions align with corporate security and compliance standards. Microsoft launches the new Microsoft Marketplace, merging Azure Marketplace and AppSource into a single storefront with over 3,000 new AI apps and agents. In case it’s not clear, this is the choice for managing all the aspects of user management – first name, last name, password, and other user settings.

Choosing the best route when creating one

The marketplace is designed to provide a trusted, secure, and governable platform that empowers IT departments to manage the influx of AI tools confidently. By uniting its cloud infrastructure and business application storefronts, Microsoft is creating a cohesive ecosystem. The goal is to reduce friction for customers and to present a unified front against competitors in the enterprise software space. Microsoft has launched the new Microsoft Marketplace, a unified digital storefront that merges its previously separate Azure Marketplace and AppSource platforms. Announced on September 25, the marketplace aims to simplify how businesses discover, purchase, and deploy cloud solutions and AI tools.

• The goal is to reduce friction for customers and to present a unified front against competitors in the enterprise software space.
• The marketplace provides a secure and scalable mechanism to ensure all acquisitions align with corporate security and compliance standards.
• If you are looking to build an environment for work or school accounts, or even personal Microsoft accounts (MSA), you can use an existing Microsoft Entra tenant or build a new one, especially for development purposes.
• The marketplace acts as a direct extension of the Microsoft Cloud, delivering a comprehensive catalog of partner innovations across Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform to fuel this transformation.
• What I haven’t pointed out yet is that there are some different paths you can take, including the starting portal.
• If you already have a tenant, why would you want to create additional tenants?

Mobile services

The marketplace acts as a direct extension of the Microsoft Cloud, delivering a comprehensive catalog of partner innovations across Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform to fuel this transformation. For years, customers navigated two distinct platforms, a legacy dating back to AppSource’s 2016 launch alongside Dynamics 365. Azure AD is the service, while an azure cloud engineer Azure tenant is your organization’s instance of that service. The vast majority of organizations will have existing tenants in Microsoft Entra ID (especially if you are utilizing Microsoft 365).

A nice quickstart or step-by-step guide wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t include the steps to create a new Entra ID tenant, right? This vast catalog is a clear bet on the future of AI-driven business processes, offering tools designed to automate tasks, accelerate decision-making, and unlock new value. The marketplace’s most significant feature is its deep and strategic integration of artificial intelligence, designed to move customers from experimentation to scale.

Empowering the Partner and Reseller Ecosystem

However, there are multi-tenant scenarios – I’ll describe some reasons below. Microsoft has defended its compliance with international laws, but opponents insist that mere legal adherence is insufficient when technologies could exacerbate oppression. The debate reflects broader tensions between corporate profits, technological ethics, and accountability in conflict zones.

Also, if you’re not using an account with Global Administrator rights, you will at least need an account with the Tenant Creator role. Microsoft is making these solutions highly discoverable, not just on the web but also by surfacing what it calls “contextually relevant” AI apps and agents directly within the Microsoft products that users, developers, and IT practitioners use daily. At launch, the platform features tens of thousands of solutions, including over 3,000 new AI-powered apps and agents.

This deep integration with the channel ecosystem is a strategic advantage. It allows customers to procure solutions through their existing, trusted relationships with cloud service providers (CSPs), simplifying the purchasing process and fostering stronger partnerships across the board. Through Azure44 Blockchain Workbench, Microsoft is providing the required infrastructure to set up a consortium network in multiple topologies using a variety of consensus mechanisms. Microsoft provides integration from these blockchain platforms to other Microsoft services to streamline the development of distributed applications. Microsoft supports many general-purpose blockchains, including Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric and purpose-built blockchains like Corda. Above, I walked you through a specific scenario of tenant creation with Microsoft Entra ID.

How do I create a new Azure AD tenant?

This feature empowers software companies to authorize their channel partners to sell solutions on their behalf through private offers, effectively unlocking new and streamlined routes to market. The new marketplace is also a cornerstone of Microsoft’s partner strategy. The company is introducing new capabilities designed to drive growth for both software developers and channel partners. This move recognizes that a vibrant partner ecosystem is crucial for scaling technology adoption. For large enterprises, the value proposition extends beyond efficiency to the critical balance of innovation and control.

Although there are some rather important decisions you need to make when creating a new or additional Entra ID tenant including from which portal to start, the process is relatively quick and painless. You don’t need a lot of technical expertise to go through the steps. Furthermore, Microsoft is extending the marketplace’s reach by allowing major channel partners to integrate its catalog into their own platforms.

However, I don’t want to discount the research and planning you need to go through before completing the process. There are a few gotchas or future additions that are blocked or unavailable based on what specific steps you take. If you don’t have an existing tenant for your specific development purposes, go ahead and create a new one.

Using ‘Azure AD B2C’ is as easy as accessing the administration controls in the Azure Portal. Learn why you may want to create a new or additional Microsoft Entra ID (Azure Active Directory) tenant. Do you go down the ‘Microsoft Entra ID’ route or ‘Azure AD B2C’? Access to a curated, integrated ecosystem allows large companies to embrace cutting-edge AI without compromising on their core security and governance standards. This in-product integration ensures that employees can access approved, governed AI solutions in their natural flow of work. Crucially, these are not just standalone tools siloed in a storefront; they are woven directly into the fabric of the Microsoft Cloud ecosystem.