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reviewer1574265 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Admin at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Secure, highly reliable, quick and responsive technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The security and infrastructure management features are the most valuable ones for us."
  • "Better deployment management and visibility functionality would be helpful."

What is our primary use case?

I am a cloud engineer, and I do a lot of administrative work that involves creating new infrastructure for our applications. Whenever I create infrastructure, I have to install it on our Active Directory and then set it up. This is how it was that I started working with Azure Active Directory.

Once the infrastructure is set up, I usually proceed to create user groups and user IDs inside Active Directory. After they are created, I set up and configure them based on the requirements of the organization, including the access required for different groups and users.

How has it helped my organization?

We deal with a lot of health information that we have to keep confidential, so having the Azure cloud security policies in place, such that nothing is exposed to the outside world, is helpful for us.

What is most valuable?

The security and infrastructure management features are the most valuable ones for us.

It offers multifactor authentication for setting up development pipelines.

What needs improvement?

Better deployment management and visibility functionality would be helpful. There is a lot of room for improvement in our infrastructure, and in particular, when we create something, we have to visit a lot of websites. This makes life more difficult for us.

When we deploy new infrastructure, it begins with a lengthy approval process. For example, as an administrator, I may receive an infrastructure request from one of our developers. The developer might need access to our front-end, where all of the servers are deployed. The problem is that we don't know exactly what has been deployed within our servers, so better visibility would be helpful.

It's a closed infrastructure, and every developer gets an individualized container. We don't know exactly which features have been provided to them and it's a roundabout process to log back into Active Directory and see exactly what permissions have been assigned. It requires returning to a specific feature and looking at the specific user.

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For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Azure Active Directory for just over three and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a highly reliable solution and we plan to continue using it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Right now, we have 5,000 users that are deployed on Azure Active Directory. Every internal user account that's been created has some sort of multifactor authentication attached to it.

Right now, there isn't a plan to increase our usage. I think we have reached our maximum capacity and if we have to add on something else, then we have to use another tenant or figure out a different way to do it.

We have a team of 15 people who deal with tickets related to this solution.

How are customer service and support?

We constantly have the chance to engage with Microsoft regarding Azure Active Directory. They provide full-time support, so for any issues that we face, we just create a ticket. When we have issues, we quickly get someone from the Azure support team to help us out.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Prior to using Azure Active Directory, we had our own Active Directory. Once we started migrating our applications to Azure, we began moving away from our traditional implementation.

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment process takes a couple of days for us, although exactly how long depends upon the type of deployment. If you have new deployments then I suggest creating an automated script that will kick it off because this will save time. If on the other hand, there is something that is already deployed and it needs to be redeployed, it doesn't take longer than a couple of hours.

It only takes one person to deploy. It is done on a ticket basis, as requested by people like our developers.

What was our ROI?

This product provides added value to the company.

What other advice do I have?

In summary, this is a good product and it has been helpful for us, but without doing the proper research, I wouldn't recommend starting with Azure Active Directory. Migrating all of your user accounts and then your resources from different domains to an Azure Active Directory is a huge task. It means that you have set up to create everything from scratch, so without doing proper research, you may run into problems.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

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

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Anteneh Asnake - PeerSpot reviewer
Modern Data Center and Cloud Engineer II at IE Network Solutions PLC
MSP
Smooth, easy to use, and easy to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "The performance is good."
  • "We would like to see more system updates."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the solution primarily for demo purposes. We use active data cases from Microsoft. You can run different kinds of virtual machines and different kinds of services. We're currently using it in production.

What is most valuable?

It's very smooth and very easy to use. 

The performance is good. 

The product is stable.

It's quite scalable.

The initial setup is not complex.

What needs improvement?

We would like to see more system updates. They should happen more frequently.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability has been good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can scale if you need it to.

About350 people use the solution in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is not great when you are using cloud solutions, however, when you are using cloud solutions, it's very smooth and very effective. We haven't had any issues. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I'm not sure if a different solution was used previously.

How was the initial setup?

The installation was not complex. It was pretty simple and pretty straightforward.

The deployment is pretty fast. It takes ten minutes, at a maximum, to set up.

You only need one person for deployment and maintenance. 

What about the implementation team?

I didn't need the help of any third-party integrator or consultant. I was able to handle it myself. 

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

The solution is pretty affordable. Sometimes you can get a Microsoft voucher to get some sort of discount.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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NASSER ALY - PeerSpot reviewer
Computer Chief Specialist Engineer at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Cloud accessible, overall functions well, and simple deployment
Pros and Cons
  • "Overall the solution functions very well, such as the ability to access it from the cloud."

    What is our primary use case?

    The solution is being used at Kuwait University for different things, such as email systems.

    What is most valuable?

    Overall the solution functions very well, such as the ability to access it from the cloud.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Azure Active Directory for approximately eight years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability of Azure Active Directory is good.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Azure Active Directory has been scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    If we have any problems we contact the local reseller, and if we need to contact Microsoft, we do it directly.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We were previously using Microsoft Active Directory which was not on the cloud. Having Azure Active Directory on the cloud is a benefit.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is simple. There is not a need to do any installation or configuration, you only make a subscription and you run it.

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

    There is a subscription model that is used for Azure Active Directory.

    The subscription should be categorized by business size. For example, small companies should have a discounted price, this would help small companies and the organization to be automated.

    What other advice do I have?

    I recommend this solution to others.

    I rate Azure Active Directory a ten 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
    reviewer1724676 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Sr. Cloud Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Great out of the box authentication flows, provides minimal security leakage, and is quite stable
    Pros and Cons
    • "The scalability capabilities are quite high."
    • "Azure AD provides two types of features. One is Azure AD Excel and is already B2C. Out of both versions, Azure B2C requires some improvement, in terms of user management and role management, et cetera."

    What is our primary use case?

    There were a couple of use cases I've dealt with. In one scenario, I had to import on-premise users to my Azure AD. We had a couple of mobile applications where we were using the authentication feature from Azure AD. 

    We needed to create a new infrastructure for one of the clients and everything had to be taken care of by the Azure infrastructure. In that case, we used Azure AD for all kinds of user management tasks, as well as authentication.

    How has it helped my organization?

    We simply use Azure AD and everything is taken care of instantly. You need not worry about user management. Everything is taken care of by Azure AD itself. You just simply have it in your application and everything is done out-of-the-box.

    What is most valuable?

    Azure AD, overall, is quite good for securing your applications as well as the infrastructure. 

    I like that they provide most of the authentication flows out-of-the-box, so you do not need to do anything specific to tackle any authentication flows.

    Azure AD has affected our organization's security positively. In terms of the application, it's quite good. There was very minimal leakage. We had a single instance and that user was already compromised. Otherwise, it's quite good.

    What needs improvement?

    Azure AD provides two types of features. One is Azure AD Excel and is already B2C. Out of both versions, Azure B2C requires some improvement, in terms of user management and role management, et cetera.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've used the solution for approximately one to one-and-a-half years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability is quite high - if we are talking about Azure AD and not Azure AD B2C.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability capabilities are quite high. We have somewhere around 5 million users, and it was doing quite well even with that number.

    How are customer service and support?

    I haven't interacted much with technical support, however, during one of the instances where we required some help, which was not related to the Azure AD, they provided us quite good support.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I have tried one competitor, IdentityServer. It is basically an open-source solution. In terms of comparison, Azure AD is quite solid. When it comes to IdentityServer, you need to manage everything on your own. You need to host everything and you have to take care of the whole application life cycle with that identity cycle. In the case of Azure AD it's an almost managed service.

    How was the initial setup?

    I found the initial setup process quite straightforward.

    In terms of implementation, Microsoft provides very good documentation of how to kick off Azure AD. You just need to follow those instructions and it will be done in a couple of clicks.

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

    They do have a tier of service that is free that supports many people. You can also purchase a license and costs can be reduced on the Microsoft side.

    What other advice do I have?

    My previous organization has a very close relationship with Microsoft.

    I would advise users to go with Azure AD, if possible, and to try to avoid the B2C version at the moment, as quite a few good features are already in the preview. Once those preview features are done, you can go with the B2C version. 

    I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1559979 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Service Architect at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Adds a valuable extra layer to data security; very functional
    Pros and Cons
    • "The solution adds an extra layer of security."
    • "Lacks integration between applications and phones."

    What is our primary use case?

    My primary use case is to access our company resources. I'm a solution architect and we are customers of Authenticator.

    What is most valuable?

    I use this solution on a daily basis and it's a very functional app. that adds an extra layer when it comes to securing the data owned by my company. It's quite easy to deploy. 

    What needs improvement?

    I'd like to see integration between applications and phones included in the solution. It would also be helpful to have support for the kind of integration you see between Facebook and Google, support with protocols from one application on the internet or SaaS to another one. I've seen several kinds of applications in the area of risky behavior that are a little better in other solutions.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using this solution for a year. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution always works, it's stable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable, we have around 40,000 users in our company. 

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I have previously used other products but Authenticator is included in the Microsoft license suite package so the decision to go with it was commercial. 

    How was the initial setup?

    The solution is connected with Intune in the cloud so implementation is very easy and took me less than five minutes. Everything is updated via Microsoft cloud delivery.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate this solution eight out of 10. 

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud

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

    Microsoft Azure
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Technical Specialist
    MSP
    Flexible with good device management and helpful activity logs
    Pros and Cons
    • "It has made our work easier in that it’s simplified everything for us."
    • "The solution has not saved costs. While we’ve eliminated some tools, there are some other features that we are dependent on as admin, which are not yet integrated with Azure AD."

    What is our primary use case?

    We primarily use the solution to take users into our AD. That's the basic purpose. We are using it in our whole organization so that our AD is synced.

    What is most valuable?

    Overall, the solution is quite good. 

    There are a few additional functionalities that are very compatible. For example, device management is there and creating a custom role, which reduces the task of restricting the user from AD, if the person is on the on-premise AD. If they're using on-premise, they have to create a distribution list, then apply Azure to that. It's simplified in Azure AD, making it easy to create roles and assign them to the users. 

    In fact, the device management and role assignments are great. These two features I found very compatible. For device management, if you are using an on-prem AD, you have to use some other software like Google admin to manage the devices. However, here, it is integrated into Azure AD. That's a positive aspect of the solution.

    Regarding the role assignments, it's a very flexible way to restrict the user, or, if you want to customize access, that can be done as well.

    The activity log, which is a way to see who made what changes, is quite useful.

    Azure AD has features that helped improve our security posture. It is SSO - Single Sign-On. We can manage the users very easily and we can apply SSO and MFA to them. 

    I'll give it a score of four out of five for the security posture on offer.

    For whatever company I'm working for, we cannot fully put the data on the cloud due to compliance. Rather, you have to keep some data on-premises. That’s why it’s great that we can use the hybrid approach with Microsoft.

    Azure AD  has not affected our end-user experience in any way. The transition is also quite smooth. If you're using an AD Connect to sync from your on-premises to your Azure AD, nothing has come up from the end-users in terms of issues or problems.

    It has made our work easier in that it’s simplified everything for us. It has eliminated a few of the third-party tools, which we used to use. For example, we had a dependency on Google admin due to the fact that we could see where we could manage the devices of the user. That has been integrated directly to Azure AD.

    What needs improvement?

    The solution has not saved costs. While we’ve eliminated some tools, there are some other features that we are dependent on as admin, which is not yet integrated with Azure AD.

    Other features have a broader scope and are covered under Azure. If, for example, I want to create a workflow, that cannot be done in Azure AD. That is something that is done in the Azure function or Azure logic app. Parts have to be covered in other functions. 

    Longer-term, there are some features which might be added, such as admin features similar to Google admin. If I'm an employee and I'm exiting the company, for example, I need to transfer that data from myself to my manager. For that, maybe they could include a feature where they can transfer the data from the user directly and we don't have to rely on any admins.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using Azure AD for one and a half years. Before, we were on-premises.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability is quite good. It has already been integrated with SSO or MFA. From a security perspective, it's quite stable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability is pretty fair. Azure is doing quite good work in the cloud. It's one of the top clouds. Scalability is not an issue, for Azure AD at least.

    We have approximately 800 users overall, between our India and Phoenix offices.

    We have ten administrators working with this tool in your organization. They are mostly assistant admins. There are two people who are working as global administrators. They do all the configurations.

    How are customer service and support?

    I haven't worked with Microsoft regarding this solution.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    My past experience is limited to Azure AD. We also work with Azure Monitor and Azure Logic.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is pretty much a straightforward process. I've set up another AD Connect and the process was done in 15 minutes. If you have proper documentation, you can go through it very, very smoothly. That's what my understanding is.

    The solution doesn't require any maintenance. 

    What was our ROI?

    We've definitely seen an ROI. I can't speak to the pricing part, however, when I see it as an administrator, I definitely see the value for money for our organization. A lot of functionalities have been added, with still more plans to add a few more features. There clearly has been a value addition.

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

    I don't have any insight on the pricing end as that is always managed by our team leader. They take care of all the pricing activities, et cetera. Any pricing-related information I don't have knowledge of. 

    What other advice do I have?

    In terms of deployment, we are on a hybrid structure, where we are using an AD Connect to sync our on-prem users to Azure.

    I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.

    A lot of functions have been included as compared to the on-premises deployment. Compared with competitors such as AWS and Google Cloud, it is in a different league. For example, AWS also has good features, however, this is more simplified and it's a Microsoft product, so you can rely on it for the long term. 

    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
    reviewer1209912 - PeerSpot reviewer
    CSO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
    Reseller
    Reasonably priced, and straightforward
    Pros and Cons
    • "It's something we have to deal with every day. It is present. If you're in a domain environment, you'll need it to log in. If you work in a Microsoft-centric environment, you can't avoid it."
    • "Many people believe that the Azure Active Directory is overly complicated and antiquated."

    What is our primary use case?

    Anyone who moves to Azure must have Azure Active Directory.

    Azure Active Directory is identity management.

    What is most valuable?

    It's something we have to deal with every day. It is present. If you're in a domain environment, you'll need it to log in. If you work in a Microsoft-centric environment, you can't avoid it.

    It's in the background and anyone who is a member of a Windows domain must have it.

    What needs improvement?

    Many people believe that the Azure Active Directory is overly complicated and antiquated.

    Active Directory Windows hasn't evolved that much in over 20 years. Azure Active Directory, has a few nuanced elements. It's fairly straightforward.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been dealing with Azure Active Directory for well over 25 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Azure Active Directory is very stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Azure Active Directory is quite scalable.

    How was the initial setup?

    When you've been dealing with a piece of technology for 25 years, it's simple, but the public perceives it to be complicated and antiquated.

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

    Active Directory is a Windows component that requires a per-user license. If you're on Azure, it can be free or it's incorporated,  at no extra cost, or it can become extremely complicated.

    If there is a cost, it is not expensive, but you have to have it if you are running an Active Directory environment. It's a have to have, not a nice to have.

    What other advice do I have?

    We are partners with Microsoft.

    I would rate Azure Active Directory an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    Solutions Specialist at RV BYGGERI
    Real User
    Has good MDM and MI features
    Pros and Cons
    • "I like Intune's MDM and MI."
    • "I would like it if Intune could manage MacOS or iOS directly. Right now, we have to use a third-party solution."

    What is most valuable?

    I like Intune's MDM and MI.

    What needs improvement?

    I would like it if Intune could manage MacOS or iOS directly. Right now, we have to use a third-party solution. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been working with Intune for four years

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I think Intune is more stable compared to five years ago.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Intune's scalability is better now that it's on the cloud. We can deploy to all of our devices without performance suffering.  

    How are customer service and support?

    Microsoft support is good.

    How was the initial setup?

    My customers usually do a pilot project. Then it goes to the IT department after that. If they are happy with the features and functionality, then they will deploy it to the users. We typically have no problems, but sometimes we face issues with older devices.

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

    I would like to see Microsoft offer discounts for larger Intune deployments.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Intune nine out of 10. If the user is working with a Microsoft device or license, Intune is really powerful because it has a bundled license. Still, if we need to manage another system, Intune is too expensive. If the ecosystem is Microsoft, I recommend Intune because it's Microsoft's end-to-end solution. 

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Public Cloud

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

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