We use Microsoft Active Directory to manage users, computers, servers, and group policies.
IT Manager at Groupement Berkine
Easy-to-configure product with efficient scalability
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to understand all the components."
- "The product's premium support services could be less expensive."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use and configure. It is easy to understand all the components as well.
What needs improvement?
The product's premium support services are expensive. It could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Microsoft Active Directory since 2008.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We didn’t encounter stability-related issues with architecture.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable product. We have 20 administrators to manage multiple sites and 3000 users for Microsoft Active Directory.
How are customer service and support?
We used Microsoft premium support earlier. It was expensive, and we had to pay extra for a complex issue. Now, we take help from local support partners with access to different areas.
What about the implementation team?
We receive help from Microsoft partners for installation.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Microsoft Active Directory is the product that is most used around the world. So we follow that. We are a joint venture between national companies and international companies. They already use Microsoft; thus, we opted for the product.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend Microsoft Active Directory to others and rate it an eight 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.
Systems and Infrastructures - IT Dept. at TWINSET
I like that you can sync cloud and on-prem users and groups
Pros and Cons
- "One advantage of Active Directory is that you can sync it with Microsoft Office 365, so you can manage on-premise and cloud operations, which can have different requirements. The flexibility of a hybrid management solution is valuable."
- "Active Directory's user experience is a little dated. Group policy management should be more customizable."
What is our primary use case?
We use Active Directory for domain and infrastructure management.
What is most valuable?
One advantage of Active Directory is that you can sync it with Microsoft Office 365, so you can manage on-premise and cloud operations, which can have different requirements. The flexibility of a hybrid management solution is valuable.
What needs improvement?
Active Directory's user experience is a little dated. Group policy management should be more customizable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Active Directory for a year and a half.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Active Directory nine out of 10 for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate Active Directory eight out of 10 for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
I primarily go to the Microsoft knowledge base for support. It's fairly comprehensive.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate Active Directory seven out of 10 for affordability.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Active Directory nine out of 10.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Active Directory
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Active Directory. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
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.
Last updated: Oct 28, 2024
Flag as inappropriateIT Infrastructure Systems, Services and Virtualization Specialist at IRISA
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.
Network Specialist at Wattum
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.
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
Support at Za irery
It's a good solution for managing users and groups, but there are some stability issues
Pros and Cons
- "I can use Active Directory to block a user's internet access and monitor how an employee is using the internet."
- "It could be more stable."
What is our primary use case?
I am using Active Directory at home to learn the features. It's a solution for managing users and groups.
What is most valuable?
I can use Active Directory to block a user's internet access and monitor how an employee is using the internet.
What needs improvement?
It could be more stable.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Active Directory isn't hard if you follow all the tutorials. I was able to set it up using some YouTube tutorials and Microsoft documentation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I pay a monthly license.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Active Directory a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Domain Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
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.
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Updated: October 2024
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