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reviewer1941183 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Technical Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Aug 28, 2022
Connects with other SaaS solutions, and SSOs with MFA make authentication much easier
Pros and Cons
  • "It's multi-tenant, residing in multiple locations. The authentication happens quickly. Irrespective of whether I'm in Australia, the US, India, or Africa, I don't see any latency. Those are the good features that I rely on."
  • "I would definitely recommend using Azure AD."
  • "One area where it can improve is connectivity with other systems. Not all systems are connected and you have to do coding to establish a point of connectivity. It supports certain vendors and it supports certain protocols. It is limited in many other aspects at the attribute level."
  • "One area where it can improve is connectivity with other systems."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are

  • authentication
  • authorization
  • two-factor authentication
  • I have never had a failure.

It's multi-tenant, residing in multiple locations. Authentication happens quickly. Irrespective of whether I'm in Australia, the US, India, or Africa, I don't see any latency. Those are the good features that I rely on.

It also has a variable extension, which is an added value because in Active Directory, if you have to do a schema, you have to make changes on multiple Active Directory instances. But here, as the extension attribute can be done from the application level, it helps you provide the provisioning. 

Another good reason for using Azure AD is that it can connect with other SaaS services. It also has SSOs, which, along with the MFA, makes authentication much easier.

What needs improvement?

One area where it can improve is connectivity with other systems. Not all systems are connected and you have to do coding to establish a point of connectivity. It supports certain vendors and it supports certain protocols. It is limited in many other aspects at the attribute level.

Also, some of the provisioning filters are not capable enough. You cannot do a date filter on the provisioning.

Perhaps they could also have easy protocols to create the accounts. Instead of just a file upload, they should have an easy connector to do the provisioning part.

For how long have I used the solution?

I work in a service-based company and I've been using Azure Active Directory for my customers for around 10 years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

From 2020 to 2022, there have not been more than two or three outages, and none was more than three to four hours long. And those outages may not have occurred the whole time in the entire environment, they may only have been in certain places.

When there is an outage, the end-user experience is affected, but that happens in AWS and in Azure. It happens with any SaaS product. Overall, it has not affected the end-user experience, but when there is an outage in Azure, it will have an impact on our environment.

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable, but if you need more than one region, you have to pay for it. You have to think about how you want the service to be available.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy and straightforward. Setting up Azure AD doesn't require you to do anything. You buy the product from Microsoft and Microsoft sets it up for you. You just establish the connectivity to it. It does not take more than a week or two to complete the setup.

The number of employees you require for deployment and maintenance of the solution depends on how you have set up your provisioning platform. If it is automated, you can have one resource. If you're still in manual, then it depends on the volume of the workload.

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

Licenses are based on the usage. There is no cap. It's based on the number of users we provision.

A SaaS solution is the best product. You get it at a better price and you have many Windows-based services that are included for free.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend using Azure AD. Many companies are moving from other vendors to Azure because every company uses Office 365 anyway for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. As soon as you use that, by default, you get an Azure AD account. If you have an Azure AD account, you definitely have features to use. Why would you want to go for another product?

Overall, I haven't seen any major issues with the product.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Anteneh Asnake - PeerSpot reviewer
Modern Data Center and Cloud Engineer II at IE Network Solutions PLC
MSP
May 11, 2022
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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Muhammad_Irfan - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Network Administrator at ACMC
Real User
Apr 25, 2022
Useful for user management and integrated with DNS
Pros and Cons
  • "Installation is straightforward. It only took a couple of hours to set everything up."
  • "The solution could be cheaper."

What is our primary use case?

This solution is useful for user management because it is integrated with DNS.

The solution is deployed on cloud and on-premises. We're using the latest version.

We have about 200-250 users. All of our users have local and Active Directory. We don't have plans to increase usage.

What is most valuable?

It's user friendly.

What needs improvement?

The solution could be cheaper.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

Installation is straightforward. It only took a couple of hours to set everything up.

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

We pay a yearly license. Licenses are very expensive.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Mohamed El-Sherbini - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Mada Insurance
Real User
Top 5
Mar 25, 2022
A stable and scalable a cloud-based identity and access management service that can be used on-premises
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that you can run it on-premises. I also like that I can use Azure at any time as the main one."
  • "ESAE management, especially the admin tools, could be improved. It should be built in by the vendor, and I shouldn't have to add patches or updates to connect to my domain directly. It should be added by default. The price could be better."

What is our primary use case?

I use Azure Active Directory for user credential login, control my users with end-user policies, and apply my conditions.

How has it helped my organization?

Active Directory helps me all the time. When users want to log in, it shows me this information with a time and date. It also shows me which computer they are going to use. I can track my users at any time.

What is most valuable?

I like that you can run it on-premises. I also like that I can use Azure at any time as the main one.

What needs improvement?

ESAE management, especially the admin tools, could be improved. It should be built in by the vendor, and I shouldn't have to add patches or updates to connect to my domain directly. It should be added by default. The price could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been dealing with this product for almost 20 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Azure Active Directory is a stable product. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Azure Active Directory is a scalable product.

How are customer service and support?

Customer service and support are perfect, especially when I'm dealing with my local third-party Microsoft vendor, who always supports me at any time.

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

Azure Active Directory is expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to potential users.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Azure Active Directory a 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.
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Manager, Technology Delivery at a educational organization with 11-50 employees
Real User
Feb 18, 2022
Useful cloud services, helpful support, and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "Having access to Azure Active Directory on the cloud gives us speed and use of the latest technology. The application services are very good, such as GitHub."
  • "Azure Active Directory could be made easier to use. We have large amounts of data and storage. We are looking for video files and media content for applications, we will think about options, such as cloud storage or a CDN."

What is our primary use case?

I have been working with a medication company and we are building an LMS system. We have an older version and we've decided to develop a new version of it. We are building the entire system on the cloud and using new technology.  We started the process on Azure cloud, but we have later plans to try AWS, but for now, we are using Azure Active Directory.

What is most valuable?

Having access to Azure Active Directory on the cloud gives us speed and use of the latest technology. The application services are very good, such as GitHub.

What needs improvement?

Azure Active Directory could be made easier to use. We have large amounts of data and storage. We are looking for video files and media content for applications, we will think about options, such as cloud storage or a CDN.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not found any problems with the stability of Azure Active Directory.

How are customer service and support?

The support for Microsoft is good. We do have a developer support package with them. We create a ticket, they respond back, then there is some back and forth communication. They will have a call with you you and ask for a screenshot of the issue. If you have any issues, they help you. They will follow up with you, the service is not bad. There are times you have to keep following up with them but we were satisfied.

How was the initial setup?

The process of implementing Azure Active Directory is not straightforward. We are currently still setting it up because we are adding more services, setting up the pipelines, and many other things behind the scenes. It's not as simple, it is tough to implement.

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

The price of Azure Active Directory and Amazon AWS, are almost the same, but most people prefer Amazon AWS because they find it's a little cheaper to some extent and an easier platform to use. 

The prices we pay for the solution can vary because we are adding more services a lot of the time, the price keeps going up and down. The price has been one thousand before but we are still adding more services. The price depends on what services you are using.

We are paying for support to use this solution which is an additional cost.

What other advice do I have?

People have personal preferences in respect to choosing a cloud provider because there are many out there. In terms of support, you have to know exactly what you're looking for and get the pricing figured out. It is important to come up with a proper plan for the implementation.

I rate Azure Active Directory an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Hosman Rodriguez - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager Compliance at Appalachian Group
Real User
Feb 18, 2022
Provides main authentication on our authorization platform to get access to our resources
Pros and Cons
  • "We're using the whole suite: device management, user credentials, everything that's possible."
  • "I think something that is key would be the group policies replication over the cloud, in order to prevent or to avoid relying on the on-premise Active Directory servers and to manage group policies."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is our main authentication on our authorization platform to get access to our resources.

The solution is deployed on cloud with Microsoft Azure as the provider. We have around 100 people using this solution in my organization. 

What is most valuable?

We're using the whole suite: device management, user credentials, everything that's possible.

What needs improvement?

I would not recommend any changes or improvements right now, in terms of the organization. I think something that is key would be the group policies replication over the cloud, in order to prevent or to avoid relying on the on-premise Active Directory servers and to manage group policies.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable.

We have plans to increase usage. We have been increasing over the past year. I believe we started with about 30 people, and now we have almost 100.

How are customer service and support?

We have only contacted technical support once or twice in the last year. They were very simple tasks.

How was the initial setup?

Setup was very simple initially. Deployment took no more than six weeks, and we only needed two people.

What about the implementation team?

We used a partner to help us and guide us on the deployment.

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

The licensing costs are yearly. There is a standard fee per user.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 9 out of 10.

With a more complex environment, more complex tools are implemented. My thoughts are that they need to have a right and current inventory of applications that are compatible with single sign-on to properly implement that functionality, for example.

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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Mangesh Masaye - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager at UPL
Real User
Jan 30, 2022
IAM service with seamless installation; has good authentication and single sign-on features
Pros and Cons
  • "Very stable and scalable IAM service with good SSO and authentication features."
  • "Though the installation was seamless, it took longer than expected to be completed."

What is our primary use case?

We use Azure Active Directory to add authentication for users when they sign into the applications. We also use it to provide single sign-on (SSO) to applications.

What is most valuable?

What I like most about Azure Active Directory is its SSO (single sign-on) feature, as we have a community of users with different IDs and passwords, and this feature helps integrate all these. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Azure Active Directory since 2016.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Azure Active Directory is a very stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Azure Active Directory is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support for this solution is fine.

How was the initial setup?

Installing this solution was seamless, but it took time for it to complete. It took one month.

What about the implementation team?

We used an integrator to deploy Azure Active Directory.

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

Azure Active Directory has different licensing plans. We're on a yearly subscription. It is expensive, but if you look at the technical benefits it provides, the price for it is decent. If the cost of the license could be lowered, then it would be better.

What other advice do I have?

Azure Active Directory is a cloud-based solution in which we have done our integration with our applications.

We currently have five or six different teams using this solution. We have three people with admin rights, 3 technicians, and a technical team. Some users have admin rights, e.g. general admin rights, while some have basic rights.

Our plan to increase the usage of Azure Active Directory depends on how many new employees will join the company. It could happen.

I'm recommending Azure Active Directory to other people who want to start using it because it meets requirements.

I'm giving Azure Active Directory a score of 10 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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Managing Director at KRsolns LTD
Real User
Jan 29, 2022
Cloud-based, simple installation, and accessible from anywhere at any time
Pros and Cons
  • "What I like is that I can go anywhere, at any time, and to any client premise, and I can simply log in to the admin panel and can serve any of my clients."
  • "The main issue is that because Active Directory is in the cloud, it will inevitably be dependent on internet connectivity."

What is our primary use case?

The active directory on Microsoft Azure is similar to the corresponding system for an on-premise active directory.

What is most valuable?

I have no issues with Azure Active Directory.

Our users and clients are migrating from on-premises solutions to cloud-based solutions. As a result, they do not require on-premise service. 

What I like is that I can go anywhere, at any time, and to any client premise, and I can simply log in to the admin panel and can serve any of my clients.

Instead of using Team Viewer, you connect to their local service, which is centralized. I have got the Microsoft exchange, and have access to Microsoft Azure. I can check the workstations, and perhaps soon I will be using Microsoft Intune and the Microsoft Defender enterprise. Even if I am not on the premises, I will be able to check and secure my workstations.

What needs improvement?

I don't have any major problems. I don't use it in a way that requires a lot of resources.

The main issue is that because Active Directory is in the cloud, it will inevitably be dependent on internet connectivity.

It would be beneficial if Microsoft could make it lighter so that it requires fewer resources.

Better pricing will help us market it more than having it on-premises.

For how long have I used the solution?

Azure Active Directory was implemented one year ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

For the time being it has been stable. I have a small number of clients, and no hybrid system. We chose those clients with a maximum of twenty users. We don't want large clients so that we can implement one system in one location, and roll it out the same way to all of the clients.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In total, I have 10 clients, five of those are now users of Azure Active Directory.

By the end of the year, we hope to have all of our clients using Microsoft Azure.

New clients are immediately placed on Microsoft Azure.

How are customer service and support?

The Microsoft team in Mauritius has been extremely helpful in implementing systems and resolving issues. We have small clients who have not been faced with many issues.

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

We deploy the M365 business premium services and a couple of months ago we started to implement 365 Defender. It is a cloud-based solution.

We're new to it. For the time being, we are only using the antivirus component. We haven't used Intune yet. We are not using the entire package. We are only now going to put such solutions into action.

Microsoft Azure was implemented a year ago, and is only used for the creation of users and emails, group emails, and shared boxes, but my clients are mostly lawyers. So, the primary uses are online email exchange and word processing.

We are trying to implement Microsoft Azure more and more.

Azure is the central point. Microsoft Azure is replacing my on-premises service.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is rather straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We had some assistance from the local Microsoft team.

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

Licensing fees are paid on a monthly basis.

When I calculated the price, it appeared to be nearly the same as the on-premise server. 

Better pricing would attract customers to use the cloud.

What other advice do I have?

We haven't had to deal with any major recovery issues.

We have had Excel and Word files that were simply recoverable. We backup the server, but nothing more serious than that.

We are Microsoft centric solution providers.

We have very small clients, companies with 20 to 30 users of Excel, Word, and the internet. We deploy Microsoft 365 platforms, not much in the way of large software applications.

I would recommend this solution to others, and I am already promoting it. 

I am suggesting that all of my clients migrate from on-premise active directory to a Microsoft view because, with the current COVID, many of our users work from home. I just wanted to point out that almost all of our users work from home. They are currently working on the roaster. Half of the company works from home, while the other half works on-site. Having active and SharePoint, is really assisting them in working from home.

I would rate Azure Active Directory a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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