Microsoft Active Directory Reviews

We use the solution for Wi-Fi and logging in students and staff on the network.

It's quite easy to integrate into other directories. It allows us to avoid creating other databases. We just replicate the SAM database into other applications requiring users to log in.

The product must provide remote password reset features. Users would want to reset their passwords wherever they are. We've never really had a simple solution where resets could be done remotely other than using third-party applications. We've had to create a third-party application for password resets.

The cloud-based solution was not so easy to deploy. The product should improve Active Directory replication into the cloud. The setup is not seamless. If we set up an AD on-prem and want to deploy it in the cloud, the synchronization setup is not very easy. The product should improve the synchronization between on-prem and cloud servers. The setup is quite complex. It would be helpful to set up a cloud server and link it to the same domain.

The active directory synchronization must be instant. It would be a great improvement if the process were automated. If I go into the cloud and set up a new Active Directory server, and link it to a specific domain, the synchronization should be the way it is on-prem. When I set up a new server on-prem and connect it to the domain, all the users move immediately.

I have been using the solution for ten years.

The tool is very scalable. Around 3000 people are using the solution in our organization. It is extensively used in our organization.

The initial setup is straightforward. The deployment took less than two days.

We did the deployment in-house. The process to deploy comes built into the Windows Server setup. It's one of the easiest services to set up. We need a manager, a systems engineer, and two developers to deploy and maintain the product.

The license per user can probably be reduced. However, the server license is okay. The license fee is paid based on the new release of Windows Server.

We integrated the product into LDAP, which is Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. I would recommend the solution to others. It is easy to deploy the tool on-prem. Overall, I rate the product a ten out of ten.

I am using Microsoft Active Directory for tracking PCs on the domain, enabling them when they drop off, changing the PCs, and moving them into the organizational unit depending on the department and location.

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Active Directory is the ability to search for computers and users. While I do not have administrative privileges to reset passwords, I can view user information such as department, and communicate with someone who can make the changes.

There has been a change in the layout of the user information. Previously, I had to go to properties to view the information, but now it is displayed directly below the search results. It takes some time to get used to.

I have been using Microsoft Active Directory for approximately four years.

The solution is highly scalable.

I rate the stability of Microsoft Active Directory a ten out of ten.

The solution is scalable. You install it on any regular PC. It doesn't have to be a server, it can be a client. As I downloaded it or added it as a feature, I can use it right away.

I use the solution often.

I have not needed to use the support from Microsoft Active Directory.

The initial setup of Microsoft Active Directory is straightforward. I appreciate the graphical user interface (GUI) that is provided. There are two methods for setting it up, one is downloading it from the Microsoft website, and the other is adding it as a feature through the "Programs and Features" menu. I prefer the GUI as it is more visually appealing and easy to navigate, compared to the other method which is more text-based.

Active Directory is built-in into Microsoft Windows 10. I'm not an administrator and would not be involved in purchasing decisions for new versions of the software. I have only used the client portion of it, I do not know if there is a cost to using the solution.

My suggestion to others is they should learn what they need to use Active Directory for. I have experience in creating users in the past, but my role here is different and I don't handle that task. However, I still use Active Directory to communicate with other groups about what a user requires. It is a versatile tool and you can accomplish many tasks with it. It is best to figure out what you need and proceed accordingly.

I rate Microsoft Active Directory a ten out of ten.

We use it to manage the users to start with and to add on security and networks. Whatnot, you can do is authentication, multifactor authentication, enabling user access externally is also possible. We also use it for federation service. So far, we are using all the features of AD. 

We are using most of the features because we are a large organization. So we need those kinds of services or features coming for enterprise versions, and we use most of it because we are 20,000+ people.

There is room for improvement in the support. For many use cases, we get good support; for some, we don't.

I have been using this solution for 20 years. 

I'm using the latest version, which is Active Directory, in the cloud.

Stability and performance are good. So far, we have not observed any major downtime or performance issues since we deployed it.

It is highly scalable. There are around 20,000+ users using AD in our organization. The number of users keeps increasing according to our requirements. 

We use the support frequently whenever we find a problem with the given feature or the used feature.

The response is good. Sometimes they slip the SLA or whatever, so we discuss it.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. It is very customizable as well as very easy to install or leverage the features of AD.

To deploy AD, it took not more than two days because we needed to extend from AD to AD. So we just wanted to figure out which power start domain to choose from and then do it.

Moreover, there is a separate team involved in the deployment and maintenance of the solution.We have a combination of managers, engineers, developers, etc.

We used Bamboo Tableau charts, but we are not using it anymore. We moved to Azure DevOps, so we use the entire suite of DevOps tools. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. I would definitely recommend using the solution.

Microsoft Active Directory is used to centrally manage all objects and provide access. It also serves as the authentication mechanism for most of our Windows and non-Windows applications using Kerberos. User and device management are also handled through Active Directory.

One of the most valuable features of the solution that I like is that it allows our company to apply GPOs properly to many users.

The GUI of Microsoft Active Directory is very basic. At our company, we can go for automation since we don't have many tasks. In the solution, assigning permissions is complex, making it difficult to grant them at a granular level or to multiple users without templates or alternative tools. Although achieving the RBAC or Zero Trust model is challenging due to the same limitations in Microsoft Active Directory, third-party tools are available to assist with this task. Even the Native Azure AD does not have these capabilities.

I do have experience with Microsoft Active Directory. Our company is a customer of the solution. Also, I have been using this solution for maybe eight to ten years. I am using the solution's latest version.

For stability, on a scale where one is not stable and ten is very stable, I rate this solution a seven since there are issues. The solution has its own set of issues concerning patches, compatibility issues, and a few more things. The few other issues are something that actually depends, in a sense, that every month, they roll out the patches, and then they try to close the vulnerabilities, creating issues. So, maybe encryption, and also there are many things.

The scalability of the solution is high. Scalability-wise, I rate this solution may be above eight out of ten. There are around 4,00,000 users of this solution.

The solution is used very often, daily, since it serves as a primary tool for various tasks, including authentication and other functions. At present, we do not plan to increase the number of users using the solution, as we are trying to reduce the footprint.

I rate the technical support for the solution between six to seven out of ten. While technical support is proactive, there are times when we cannot get through a call and don't always receive the support we expect from Microsoft's technical support team.

Neutral

The initial setup of the solution is easy, and I would rate it an eight or nine out of ten on a scale of one to ten, where one being difficult and ten being easy.

The deployment time of the solution varies depending on the team responsible for it. Since it's not primarily our team's responsibility, I'm unsure of the exact time required for deployment. I don't think more than one person is required for the entire deployment process. The number of people required to maintain the solution depends on the company's size.

The solution is worth the money paid for it.

I'm unsure about the cost of the solution, as I was never involved in that aspect. However, I don't think it would be expensive. It might be average, around four or five out of ten. I believe the licensing costs are volume licensing for on-premises, so it shouldn't be monthly. I think it's a one-time purchase for the server, and it comes with the necessary licenses. We don't have to buy any additional licenses.

My advice for those planning to use Microsoft Active Directory as a solution is that it is a scalable and stable platform that has been used for many years. It is a necessary tool for companies using Windows-based operating systems to manage their objects. Overall, I rate this solution an eight out of ten.

We use Microsoft Active Directory as an identity provider. Active Directory checks users and accounts.

It is extremely easy to use compared to the other identity providers. It also allows us to have group policies for all sorts of authentication. It also supports Cisco's 802.1X authentication. Moreover, it’s easy to integrate with any kind of product that will support Active Directory authentication.

It is mostly useful for its group policies. We can achieve everything with it, including some kind of restrictions on the users or servers. It is easy to handle, and it gives a hundred percent results with the group policies. Also, there has been significant improvement with the newer version, especially for Active Directory 2016.

Most of the features which are required for the active directory are already introduced into the Azure Active Directory. If you are using the Active Directory, the main concern is that the policy is restricted to the specific local area network. The users may not be in that specific local area network, like the office network, and won't get the updates and new policies.

However, upgrading is not easy because it has to come in a hierarchy from top to bottom. If you are a global administrator and have limited rights, it might be difficult as you are responsible for the whole entity. 

I have been using Microsoft Active Directory for seven years.

It is a stable solution. Azure Active Directory has a very high SLA, but the local active directories face update issues. Those issues need configuring and that is the reason I am giving it a seven out of ten. 

It's easy to scale and in my organization, almost 7,000 users are using this solution. Currently, we are downsizing in Africa and might shift to Azure Active Directory. However, the data is on the cloud, so it won’t affect the processing. I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten. 

My overall experience with the initial setup is satisfactory. My job role and use of Active Directory is very limited to using it as an identity source. At the moment, it is a hybrid model. We have on-premises and private cloud solutions internally. Currently, we are doing an assessment with Azure and AWS and might go with Azure. 

If the data is not that confidential, a company can choose a cloud solution like Active Directory. I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. 

We only use Active Directory in my location for login purposes. We give permissions to file servers.

The most valuable feature is the configured appliance system in Hypervisor. We find Active Directory to be simple and effective. We mainly use it for file servers and user security. We don't utilize many advanced features.

The initial setup should be easier. It's complex and has replication and synchronization issues.

The technical support team does not give prompt responses.

I have been using the solution for the last four years.

It is a stable solution as there are no crashes or downtime. I rate it a ten out of ten. It is very good performance-wise.

It is a scalable solution. In my location, we have a total of 46 users. I rate it a ten out of ten.

The technical support team is not good as they do not provide prompt support. I rate them a five out of ten.

Neutral

Active Directory's initial setup is complex because, for some parts, like replications or synchronization, there are some problems that need to be verified. 

There is an expert-level requirement, and we are not experts. So we speak to Microsoft's support, but they are also not capable. 

Role deployments will take two to three hours. But fresh installation, if we are installing and configuring it, takes one to two hours.

Our team configured it and performed the installation and configuration.

The pricing model differs for India and other countries. Our procurement was based in India for a Microsoft license. The branch in our location is responsible for providing us with the software and licenses. They have an IT team that takes care of all the software-related matters.

Since we started to use it and configured it with our server, we haven't experienced any downtime, instability, or crashes. I have had a good experience with this solution and with Microsoft.

I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

My company uses Microsoft Active Directory as an identity and access management solution. The tool is used for its authentication capabilities in my company.

The most valuable features of the solution are its capabilities in areas like authentication and authorization, which include aspects like configuring permissions on folders and assigning permissions to security groups configured in Microsoft Active Directory.

I feel that Microsoft Active Directory is a superior solution to the other products available in the market.

Microsoft Active Directory fails to provide MFA. MFA, which is also known as multi-factor authentication on top of the password and username, is what I would like to see in the product's future releases.

I have been using Microsoft Active Directory for more than ten years.

The solution's technical support is good.

The product's initial setup phase was straightforward as it can be done within the operating system, after which you can take care of the configuration part to complete the setup process.

The solution is deployed on a hybrid cloud model.

Microsoft Active Directory is an excellent product.

I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.

We use the solution as a user repository for window servers and platforms. Also, we have Line App platforms, actively using Line Asset Align to host our account and claim access based on active directory code.

The solution's most valuable feature is its ability to plan and manage different policies and functionalities.

The solution's price could be better.

I have been using the solution for more than ten years.

The solution is relatively stable. There are no issues of stability right now.

The solution is easy to scale. Our entire enterprise uses it.

The solution's technical support is good if you purchase the premium service.

Positive

Microsoft Active Directory is quick and easy to install. As for the deployment, it is a matter of a few hours. It takes about one or two engineers to deploy. Also, as for maintenance, one person is enough. The patching can be configured automatically.

We purchase the license for the solution on a yearly basis. However, they have converted the licensing model into a subscription. But it is worth the money.

There are no issues in terms of the performance and configuration of the solution. It is user-friendly and has a lot of UI features. Also, they are about to deploy new AI-based features.

Microsoft offers higher licenses as well. Thus, I advise others to select the licenses that fit their company's requirements. Otherwise, they will end up paying more.

I rate the solution a nine out of ten.