What is the difference between Microsoft Account and Organizational Account?

What is the difference between Microsoft account and organizational account?

A Microsoft Account, formally Windows Live ID, is an identity that is managed by Microsoft for people who use services such as Windows 8, Xbox LIVE, Outlook.com, or Windows Phone. A Microsoft account will usually take the form of a person’s personal Outlook.com or Hotmail email account and is named by the person who creates that account when they sign up for one of those services.

An organizational account is an identity that allows people who belong to, or are employed by, organizations that have signed up for a Microsoft organizational service, such as Office 365 or Windows Intune, to access those services.

Unlike Microsoft Accounts, organizational accounts are named and managed by an administrator for the organization that has signed up for Microsoft online services and, while an organizational account can be hosted by Microsoft through Windows Azure Active Directory, it can also be synchronized or federated with Windows Azure Active Directory from an organization’s own on-premise Active Directory infrastructure.

For more information about user accounts in Windows Azure Active Directory, please refer to: What is my user ID and why do I need it?

See Also

Concepts

Microsoft Account for Organizations FAQ
Overview of Microsoft Account for Organizations