Microsoft Active Directory Reviews

Name: Microsoft Active Directory
Brand: Microsoft
Rating: 4.3 (39 reviews)

4.3 out of 5

39 reviews
97% willing to recommend

138 followers

What is Microsoft Active Directory?

Active Directory stores information about objects on the network and makes this information easy for administrators and users to find and use. Active Directory uses a structured data store as the basis for a logical, hierarchical organization of directory information.

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Microsoft Active Directory is the #6 ranked solution in top Active Directory Management solutions and #8 ranked solution in top Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions. PeerSpot users give Microsoft Active Directory an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 39 most recent Microsoft Active Directory reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 7.2. Microsoft Active Directory is most commonly compared to Microsoft Entra ID: Microsoft Active Directory vs Microsoft Entra ID. Microsoft Active Directory is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 66% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 21% of all views.

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Microsoft Active Directory

November 2024

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Featured reviews

Rajitha Abhisheka

Senior Systems Engineer at Virtual IT Group - Australia

We have been using the solution for years and have adjusted our deployments to new environments. When Office 356 was introduced in 2015, there was some confusion about how to authenticate users with on-premises active directories where identities and authorizations for several applications were managed. We introduced Azure AD for use with the solution to integrate Office 365 with our client's environments. This created a conflict because every user now had two usernames and two passwords. To mitigate the conflict in those days, we used AD FS to set a 15-minute time interval which would sync on-premises AD with Azure AD. Information from a user reset in AD would push to Azure AD within a few seconds so this allowed users to log in to Office 365 email from anywhere in the world. By 2019, AD FS was a legacy system so we moved to Azure AD Connect which can be installed on an on-premises domain controller. Connect accomplishes the same things as AD FS but includes additional features for syncing.

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Roberta Politano

Infrastructure Senior Specialist at IVG

The solution's group policy is a normal way to deploy configuration and helps deploy to a wider environment. The solution is deployed both on-premises and on the cloud. I would recommend the solution to other users based on their infrastructure. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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Shivaram Venkatesh

Cloud advisor at Digital Cognitive

Active Directory was an extension of the Windows NT infrastructure and wasn't designed for extreme scalability. It was intended for organizations with around five to six thousand PCs. However, as organizations grew to more than twenty-five or thirty thousand PCs, the complexity of managing it increased significantly. Especially when managing across different countries or regions, the complexity could lead to errors, issues with patches, and other problems. For large organizations, we often suggest a hybrid solution involving Azure Directory. This way, local Active Directory is still present, but there's less dependency on it and more reliance on the cloud. Cloud solutions like Azure offer virtually limitless scalability compared to local setups constrained by server and network infrastructure.

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Microsoft Active Directory mindshare

Product category:

As of December 2024, the mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category stands at 2.3%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	Single Sign-On (SSO)	Dec 17, 2024	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Dec 17, 2024	Download
Comparison	Microsoft Active Directory vs Microsoft Entra ID	Dec 17, 2024	Download
Comparison	Microsoft Active Directory vs Auth0	Dec 17, 2024	Download
Comparison	Microsoft Active Directory vs Cisco Duo	Dec 17, 2024	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Microsoft Entra ID	4.3	29.7%	94%	218 interviews Add to research
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator	4.0	10.3%	87%	59 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

User-friendliness, stability, and easy integration with cloud services are key features of Microsoft Active Directory. Group policies, single sign-on, access control, and audit capabilities are highly valued. The ability to manage both on-premises and cloud-based environments, as well as seamless integration with Microsoft Office 365 and other third-party applications, enhances its flexibility. The consistent interface, log-on service, scalability, and comprehensive management capabilities make it effective for large organizations.

"The password policy helps enforce security protocols by requiring complex passwords and frequent password changes."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is authentication."
"We use the tool for FSMO, policies, and customized user registrations."

Room for Improvement

Microsoft Active Directory's user interface is outdated and complicated, making navigation and configuration challenging for users. Security enhancements, better integration with Mac, iOS, and other solutions, as well as improved reporting and auditing features are needed. The synchronization between on-premises and cloud servers is complex, and support response times can be slow. Additionally, features like MFA, remote password reset, and user-friendly log management should be included. The pricing and stability also need improvements.

"The challenges everyone now has in mind is how to really migrate fully to the cloud. Many companies face both technical and cost-related challenges when moving from on-premise Active Directory to Microsoft Intra."
"The solution should maintain the infrastructure according to the period you are in and the security changes."
"I expect additional features like maximizing user flow, improving the branding of the UI, and enabling non-interactive login. Customizing the login page is limited to changing the background and logo, and adding terms and conditions during registration requires JavaScript."

ROI

Users have seen a return on investment with Microsoft Active Directory. They do not calculate the ROI but believe it is worth the money. The ROI from Microsoft Active Directory is consistently considered valuable.

Pricing

Users report that Microsoft Active Directory's pricing varies based on licensing models, with costs calculated per user. Some sectors, like education, receive free licenses. Enterprises typically find the cost reasonable, often included with other Microsoft products or infrastructure. However, larger organizations may see higher expenses due to extensive usage. Generally, the affordability ratings range between four to seven out of ten, emphasizing the solution's value in securing important data despite varying costs.

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten."
"Microsoft Active Directory is not an expensive solution."
"My company makes payments every quarter towards the licensing costs of the product."

Popular Use Cases

Microsoft Active Directory is primarily used for domain and infrastructure management, user and device management, identity and access management, single sign-on, authentication, authorization, and accounting. It integrates with cloud services for hybrid models, manages group policies, controls servers and network environments, tracks PC and user activity, and enables secure access to applications and resources using Kerberos. It is crucial for managing users, groups, and machines in various IT environments.

Service and Support

Customer service and support for Microsoft Active Directory receive mixed feedback. Some find the support team slow and ineffective, especially when inexperienced representatives are assigned. Others praise the technical support, especially when purchasing premium services. Responses vary from being helpful and quick to poor and delayed, with some relying on internal expertise or external forums instead of reaching out to Microsoft's team. Some appreciate the effectiveness when the right person is found, while others note varying levels of responsiveness.

Deployment

Initial setup of Microsoft Active Directory generally straightforward, though complexity varies. Straightforward for greenfield environments, challenging for migrations. Deployment time ranges from hours to weeks depending on project scope. Requires knowledge of Active Directory and well-planned steps. Setup methods include GUI and text-based options. Configuration might be complex in certain environments. Adequate for experienced engineers, easy with tutorials and guides. Maintenance needs minimal personnel, scales with company size. Requires one to ten people based on organizational needs.

Scalability

Microsoft Active Directory scales well with appropriate licensing. Users reported deploying it in environments ranging from 46 to 400,000 users. Some experienced issues in larger setups, suggesting hybrid solutions like Azure Directory for better scalability. Ratings for scalability varied, with many giving high scores but a few noting potential for improvement. Organizations commonly use it daily, indicating reliability and ease of management.

Stability

Microsoft Active Directory is noted for its stability, receiving high ratings such as nine and ten out of ten. Users report minimal issues, with occasional patches and some compatibility concerns. Some mention the need for better scalability foresight. Most feedback highlights reliability, no crashes or downtime, and continuous improvements. While a few point to issues with local active directories, the general perception is highly positive regarding stability and performance.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Microsoft Active Directory Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Retailer

Healthcare Company

Comms Service Provider

Energy/Utilities Company

University

Hospitality Company

Construction Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Real Estate/Law Firm

Transportation Company

Insurance Company

Non Profit

Legal Firm

Consumer Goods Company

Media Company

Outsourcing Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Compare Microsoft Active Directory with alternative products

Learn more about Microsoft Active Directory

This data store, also known as the directory, contains information about Active Directory objects. These objects typically include shared resources such as servers, volumes, printers, and the network user and computer accounts.

Security is integrated with Active Directory through logon authentication and access control to objects in the directory. With a single network logon, administrators can manage directory data and organization throughout their network, and authorized network users can access resources anywhere on the network. Policy-based administration eases the management of even the most complex network.