In our company, Microsoft Active Directory serves as the central component for registering users, storing them in different groups, and defining the type of access for various parts of the company. Additionally, we have rights associated with these groups, which allows us to use them for other tools to assess the permissions in specific areas. Essentially, we use authentication to determine a user's identity and authorization to decide which rights should be applied to them. This process helps us manage access to company resources effectively.
Senior Data Archirect at Yettel
Offers a user-friendly UI to help identify and authorize users
Pros and Cons
- "The user-friendliness of Microsoft Active Directory is a valuable feature."
- "We may occasionally experience difficulty integrating some solutions with Microsoft Active Directory, but I am unsure whether the issue lies with Microsoft Active Directory or the other solution."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The user-friendliness of Microsoft Active Directory is a valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
We may occasionally experience difficulty integrating some solutions with Microsoft Active Directory, but I am unsure whether the issue lies with Microsoft Active Directory or the other solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Active Directory for several years.
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Microsoft Active Directory
July 2026
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What other advice do I have?
I give Microsoft Active Directory a nine out of ten.
We have thousands of end users who utilize Microsoft Active Directory.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT 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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Active Directory
July 2026
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Active Directory. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2026.
908,800 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Assistant Manager - IT and Innovation at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Specialist at ddrteam
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.
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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.
Security Manager at Yarix S.r.l.
Manages credentials, lifecycle, dynamic provisioning, and network infrastructure and supports network management and security
Pros and Cons
- "Active Directory plays a focal point in security management, encompassing aspects like credential management, lifecycle, dynamic provisioning, and the network infrastructure of customers."
- "I would like to see more integration with cloud-based applications. This would make it easier to manage users and devices across multiple platforms."
What is our primary use case?
Active Directory can be useful as an identity provider and management solution. It helps network managers with the entire user lifecycle, from creation to termination. This includes the provisioning process, the accounting process, and the authorization process. By centralizing user management, Active Directory can help improve security.
How has it helped my organization?
Active Directory plays a focal point in security management, encompassing aspects like credential management, lifecycle, dynamic provisioning, and the network infrastructure of customers.
Our work pertains to security applications, not system management. In essence, it's about Microsoft's Active Directory, not Microsoft System. We are all collectively interested in its potential.
What is most valuable?
I like the integration with the Microsoft suite of products. This makes it easy to create a unified and centrally managed network.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see more integration with cloud-based applications. This would make it easier to manage users and devices across multiple platforms.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Active Directory for more than ten years. We consistently upgrade our server system to incorporate the new version, ensuring that we operate with the most recent release.
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?
There were no problems with scalability. We could manage networks of hundreds and thousands of users.
Everyone in our organization is using this solution. We use this solution regularly.
How are customer service and support?
The support is quite good, but usually, we don't need to reach out to Microsoft's support directly because most issues can be resolved through our integrator. It's one of the standout aspects of this solution in the world. We easily find the solutions.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is not as straightforward as I would like it to be. It was a lot more complex to configure the console in Active Directory.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment process depends on the features you want to implement and the size of the network. In general, it can take a few days to a few weeks to deploy Active Directory.
We deploy and manage Active Directory in-house, but we do use a system integrator for some specific tasks, such as designing the Active Directory infrastructure. While we provide recommendations and implement certain functionalities, our customers are responsible for direct management, sometimes with the support of an integrator for tasks beyond their expertise.
To activate the Active Directory feature, you need to establish a controlled system. This involves creating a forest and distinguishing between various active directory instances and different forests.
Additionally, user insertion is essential, along with segmenting users and resources into distinct groups. Configuration is necessary for each parameter, from account metering to endpoint management. Ultimately, consolidation must be achieved. This process is complex and time-consuming.
Therefore, the number of people required for maintenance and deployment depends on the complexity and the size. It requires us to map out the architecture accurately. The infrastructure includes both managerial and technical roles.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's not overly expensive. It's considered a base function by Microsoft. We're required to pay for the license, which is based on the frequency of service usage. It's on a yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.
I suggest managing security aspects since it serves as a focal point for managing credentials and financial operations. A keen focus is essential.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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
Consultant at NETI
A stable and flexible product that integrates with other solutions
Pros and Cons
- "The product is very stable and flexible. You can also integrate the solution with other products like mail solutions."
- "I did not have a good experience with the product's tech support. First-level support takes a lot of time since they ask many questions."
What is most valuable?
The product is very stable and flexible. You can also integrate the solution with other products like mail solutions.
What needs improvement?
I did not have a good experience with the product's tech support. First-level support takes a lot of time since they ask many questions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the product for more than 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The tool's last level of support is good since they resolve queries in 15-30 minutes. Support will help you but it takes a lot of time to find the right person. I have 10 tickets per year. Every ticket after the 10th one will cost extra.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is not easy but not complex either. You need to understand what you need to implement. Also, you need to understand the needs of the customer. If you understand their needs, then the deployment is straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the product a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: July 2026
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