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Kazem Mirabedini - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Specialist at ddrteam
Real User
It's stable and consistent, so it doesn't have any bugs or issues
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is user-friendly, and I like using Microsoft products. I think there is no other choice for Active Directory. Microsoft Windows Server Active Directory is the best."
  • "The interface hasn't changed much over the years. It's suitable for my tastes, but that doesn't mean everybody likes it."

What is our primary use case?

I'm a network administrator for three companies, and each has between 10 and 30 users. The largest has 28. And I use virtualization based on VMware ES 6 to separate my servers. I use Windows Server 2019 for Active Directory and DNS. Most of my services are based on Microsoft services on the servers, except KerioControl.

Most of the users work in digital marketing. The biggest issue is installing and integrating graphical software, like Adobe and Office.

How has it helped my organization?

Our CRM application is built on SQL Server, and we use Microsoft Windows Server for that. This CRM solution manages all our customer data on that kind of server. We get a tremendous benefit from that application and use Windows Server.

What is most valuable?

The solution is user-friendly, and I like using Microsoft products. I think there is no other choice for Active Directory. Microsoft Windows Server Active Directory is the best.

Active Directory hasn't changed much between Windows Server 2008 and 2019. The protocols and rules are the same, and I think it's the best part of it. It's stable and consistent, so it doesn't have any bugs or issues.

What needs improvement?

The interface hasn't changed much over the years. It's suitable for my tastes, but that doesn't mean everybody likes it.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Active Directory
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Active Directory. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I first used Active Directory on Windows Server 2008, and then I switched. I upgraded all my servers to Windows Server 2019. 

I've changed jobs from network administrator to DevOps engineer. We are a team, and we work in cabling and some kind of passing activities most of the time. We typically work alone and manage our networks separately, but team members come to me as an advisor when they have issues.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Active Directory is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I use Active Directory on a lot of powerful hardware, and Windows Server was compatible with all of them.

How was the initial setup?

I rate Windows Server Active Directory 10 out of 10 for ease of setup. The setup is easy. It's an installer, and you click "next."  I don't like it, but it's straightforward. 

Most recently, I did it for my customers three months ago. After that, I installed ES 6 and other services that I said. It was done in a day or two because I also installed Veeam Backup and Replication.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Windows Server Active Directory nine out of 10. If you are planning to use the solution, I would take advantage of group policies. Everyone who wants to use Active Directory must be careful to include group policies.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Winston Lewis - PeerSpot reviewer
Assistant Manager - IT and Innovation at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 5
Essential solution with excellent log-on service
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution's initial setup is straightforward."
  • "They should improve the solution's old computer cleanup tool."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution to log in to our systems.

How has it helped my organization?

It has proved to be an essential solution for our organization.

What is most valuable?

The solution's most valuable feature is its log-on service.

What needs improvement?

They should improve the solution's old computer cleanup tool.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for a few years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution's stability as a ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the solution's scalability as an eight. We have around 70 users of the solution at our organization. We plan to add 20 more users.

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is straightforward.

What was our ROI?

The solution's ROI is worth it.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution's price is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I advise others to keep the solution up to date. For example, if they use Windows Server 2018, the domain should match the level. If not, it could introduce a risk to their systems.

I rate the solution as a nine.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Active Directory
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Active Directory. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Reliable with good support and useful group policies
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support is helpful."
  • "There are no reporting features."

What is our primary use case?

We usually provide the solution to clients. The customers typically use the solution for security and to deploy and manage their policies on Windows.

How has it helped my organization?

Centrally manage clients using active directory and provide integrated authentication for on-premises applications and SaaS applications such as O365.

What is most valuable?

The group policy is very useful. 

It is quite stable.

Technical support is helpful. 

What needs improvement?

There are no reporting features. Reporting needs to be added to Active Directory.

The installation can be a bit complex. You need to be knowledgeable. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for over 20 years. I've used the solution for a very long time. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. I'd rate stability eight out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is not highly scalable. I'd rate the solution's scalability six out of ten.

Many of our clients are enterprises. 

How was the initial setup?

The solution is somewhat straightforward to set up. It is not overly complex. An engineer would find the process very simple. 

I'd rate the ease of setup six out of ten. 

There are a few different options that you need to choose from when you do the installation. Therefore, an engineer should have some prior knowledge about the options.

We have about ten people handling the Active Directory design and installation process. They are system engineers. 

We have five members that can handle maintenance tasks, and they are systems engineers as well. 

What about the implementation team?

We are able to implement the solution for clients. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is moderate. I'd rate the affordability five out of ten. We have a perpetual license for the product.

What other advice do I have?

We are Microsoft gold partners.

We are using the latest version of the solution. 

I'd advise others to be careful when they deploy group policies to end users. 

I would rate the solution eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Iqpad (https://www.iqpad.com) in Korea has been a Microsoft Gold Partner since 2007.
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PeerSpot user
Amjad Ali - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Technical Support at a government with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A solution with great audit, authentication and authorization features
Pros and Cons
  • "Audit, authentication and authorization are the best features."
  • "There is room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Active Directory as a single sign-on when integrating it into applications.

What is most valuable?

Audit, authentication and authorization are the best features.

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement. Microsoft is always working to improve their solutions and features.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. Microsoft Active Directory is the bread and butter for Microsoft, so they're always working on improvements.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable solution. Our organization has more than 45,000 users and nearly 300 users in our IT sector. We have a dedicated team for maintenance and segregate responsibilities into different departments.

How are customer service and support?

We always use tech support from Microsoft. If we can solve it internally by ourselves, we do, but if there are other issues related to Active Directory, we create a ticker and reach out to them. I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex but depends on the organization's policies.

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Saeid Hajtalebi - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Infrastructure Systems, Services and Virtualization Specialist at IRISA
Real User
Top 5
A stable solution for 3 A's and SSO Authentication
Pros and Cons
  • "I think the main reason we are using Active Directory for SSO Office for single time and for intake integrity capability to other services."
  • "The scalability of the solution needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is used for the 3A’s that is Authentication, authorization, and accounting.


What is most valuable?

I think the main reason we are using Active Directory for SSO Office for single time and for intake integrity capability to other services.


What needs improvement?

The scalability of the solution needs improvement.


For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for ten years.


What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.


What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution can be improved. I rate the scalability a seven out of ten.


How are customer service and support?

The technical support team is very good. I rate them a nine out of ten.


How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. The deployment of the solution takes approximately three hours and two people are required for the deployment. I can rate the initial setup a nine out of ten.


What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is not very expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten.


What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.


Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Owner at Darcom
Real User
Easy-to-setup product with good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "It is an all-in-one solution for cybersecurity and is available at a very low price."
  • "There could be enough material to learn about the product."

What is our primary use case?

We use Azure Active Directory Identity Protection for conditional access features.

What is most valuable?

It is an all-in-one solution for cybersecurity and is available at a very low price.

What needs improvement?

There could be enough material to learn about the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Azure Active Directory Identity Protection for five years. At present, we use the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is suitable for small and medium businesses.

How was the initial setup?

The product’s initial setup process is easy. It takes two to three hours to complete and requires two people to execute the deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend Azure Active Directory Identity Protection to others and rate it an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
PeerSpot user
Timur Assembayev - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Specialist at Wattum
Real User
Useful group policies, but lacking integration and support speed could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft Active Directory is the group policies."
  • "Microsoft Active Directory could improve by having better integration with other solutions."

What is our primary use case?

This solution helps big companies that have lots of employees.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Active Directory is the group policies.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft Active Directory could improve by having better integration with other solutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft Active Directory for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of Microsoft Active Directory could improve.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Microsoft Active Directory is scalable. However, in 2008 there were some problems encountered, such as crashes, load balancing, and coverage for the main Active Directory.

I have used this solution with approximately 1,000 users.

How are customer service and support?

I have used the support from Microsoft Active Directory but they take a long time to respond. I have found all the information I needed online.

I rate the support from Microsoft Active Directory a two out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the solution was complex.

What about the implementation team?

We used a third party for the implementation of the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The version of Microsoft Active Directory I was using was expensive because it was used for large companies.

What other advice do I have?

The amount of people required for the maintenance of the solution depends on the size of the company. If there is a large company, one administrator and two assistant administrators should be sufficient.

I would not recommend this solution. Microsoft Azure has the same features in the cloud and I would like to learn about it more and others should too.

I rate Microsoft Active Directory a six out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Domain Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Enables the ability for a single sign-on for applications
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability for a single sign-on for applications."
  • "Could use more structure in the cloud version."

What is our primary use case?

The solution enables people to log on to computers and applications. I'm a domain architect. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the ability for a single sign-on for applications.

What needs improvement?

We've found Active Directory difficult to restore. I'd also like to see more structure in the cloud version.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using this solution for 15 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Active Directory is scalable, we have around 7,000 users.

How are customer service and support?

We've escalated to technical support many times. They provide good service.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward but Active Directory is hard to restore. Deployment is just a matter of downloading from Microsoft. There's no maintenance required. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It requires a license but the product is bundled in with other functions, so it doesn't have a separate cost. There's a fixed price per user for the suite. 

What other advice do I have?

I think structure and internal guidelines are extremely important and almost never there from the beginning. 

I rate this product nine out of 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user