Move to the cloud
Microsoft Entra ID with cloud sync and app provisioning covers user and group sync to Entra and many SaaS apps. It does not replace complex on-premises flows between many systems, precedence rules or custom rules extensions.
MIM end of life
MIM 2016 end of support: January 9, 2029
Microsoft Identity Manager 2016 is in extended support, and that ends on January 9, 2029. Here is what it means for your Synchronization Service, what your options are and how to plan the move without a big-bang cutover.
The MIM 2016 lifecycle in dates
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| August 2015 | MIM 2016 released as the successor to FIM 2010 R2 |
| January 12, 2021 | Mainstream support ended: no new features or non-security fixes |
| January 9, 2029 | Extended support ends: no more security updates |
Always check the current dates on Microsoft's own lifecycle page for Microsoft Identity Manager 2016.
What end of support means in practice
MIM does not switch off on January 9, 2029. Your management agents keep running. But from that day on:
- No security updates. A vulnerability found in MIM after that date stays open, in a system that holds write access to Active Directory, HR data and your business applications.
- An ageing stack underneath. MIM depends on Windows Server, SQL Server and .NET Framework. Each of those has its own end-of-support date, and upgrading them under an unsupported MIM gets harder.
- Compliance findings. Auditors and frameworks like NIS2 and ISO 27001 ask for supported software in critical systems. An identity system is about as critical as it gets.
- Fewer people who know it. The MIM community is shrinking. The longer you wait, the harder it is to find people who can change a 15-year-old rules extension safely.
Your options after MIM
There is no single answer. Most organizations end up with a mix, but the Synchronization Service part needs a home.
Buy a full IGA suite
Identity governance suites add access reviews, requests and role management. They are large projects, use different concepts, and you rebuild your sync logic from scratch.
Keep the model, change the platform
Sinkrona Connect keeps the concepts you know (management agents, connector space, metaverse, join, projection, precedence) on .NET 10, Linux or Windows, with a REST API and a browser portal.
A MIM migration plan that avoids a big bang
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Inventory
List your management agents, run profiles, schedules, rules extensions and the systems they touch. Find out which code is still needed. Many setups carry rules nobody uses any more.
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Rebuild
Recreate management agents, join and projection rules and attribute flows in Sinkrona Connect. Recompile ECMA2 connectors and rules extensions against the Sinkrona SDK.
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Run side by side
Import the same sources into Sinkrona Connect while MIM keeps exporting. Use Preview to compare the result object by object before anything is written to a target system.
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Switch over
Turn on exports one management agent at a time and retire the MIM server when the last one has moved.
Most of the time goes into the first and third steps. Starting in 2026 or 2027 gives you room to run side by side for a full business cycle (joiners, movers, leavers, year-end) before the 2029 deadline.
MIM end of life: frequently asked questions
When does support for Microsoft Identity Manager 2016 end?
Mainstream support for MIM 2016 ended on January 12, 2021. Extended support ends on January 9, 2029. After that date Microsoft no longer ships security updates or fixes for MIM 2016.
Will MIM stop working after January 9, 2029?
No. The software keeps running, but it gets no more security updates or fixes. It also depends on Windows Server, SQL Server and .NET Framework versions that reach their own end of support, so running it gets riskier every year.
Is there a direct successor to the MIM Synchronization Service?
Microsoft has not announced a 1:1 on-premises successor. Microsoft Entra ID covers cloud identity and some provisioning scenarios, but not everything the Synchronization Service does on-premises, such as complex attribute flows across many connected systems and custom rules extensions.
Can I reuse my ECMA2 connectors and rules extensions?
With Sinkrona Connect, mostly yes. Its SDK uses ECMA2-style interfaces on modern .NET, so most connectors and management agent and metaverse rules extensions move over with a recompile and small changes.
How long does a MIM migration take?
It depends on the number of management agents and the amount of custom code. A small setup can move in weeks; large environments with many rules extensions often need months, including a period where the old and new system run side by side. Starting well before 2029 leaves room for testing.
Plan your move before 2029
We are looking for pilot customers who run MIM Sync today. You get early access, direct contact with the developers and founding-customer pricing. Sinkrona is built by Søren Granfeldt, the author of the PowerShell Management Agent (PSMA) for FIM and MIM. Read more.