Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM)
Microsoft
Paid
Legacy Live - no guest downtime
Agentless
Enterprise estates
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What it is good at
Rules-based multi-forest GALSync and account provisioning where the coexistence period runs for years rather than months.
Where it falls down
Heavy to build and operate; no SID history. The strategic direction from Microsoft is Entra, so treat MIM as a bridge.
Capabilities
- Directory synchronisation
- Coexistence during migration
- Password migration / sync
- Delegated administration
Cost and licensing
- Cost category
- Paid — Commercial licence required.
- Indicative price
- Server licence plus MIM CAL per managed user
- Licence model
- MIM server licence (or a Windows Server licence covering it) plus a MIM CAL for each managed user, commonly obtained via Microsoft 365 E3/E5 or Entra ID P1 which include MIM CAL rights.
- How to license it
- Check your EA - if you hold Entra ID P1/P2 or M365 E3/E5 you very likely already have MIM CAL rights and only need the server licence.
- Lifecycle
- Legacy
- Vendor page
- https://learn.microsoft.com/microsoft-identity-manager/
Pricing and licensing last reviewed 2026-09-18. Indicative only - confirm with the vendor.
Supported sources
- Any platform
Supported targets
- Any platform
Scenarios it covers
- Inter-forest migration (forest A to forest B)
- Multi-domain / multi-forest consolidation
- Hybrid identity re-platform (change sync topology)