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reviewer1373838 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr.Piping Engineer Construction at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jan 24, 2022
On-premise version comes with group policies and features like password writeback and MDM technology
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features in Active Directory are the password writeback product and the MDM technology."
  • "In terms of connecting the web application, there is technology for single sign-on. When we use it, the solution opens very slowly. It might be a bandwidth issue, and some content will not work on that portal."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is deployed on a public cloud. We are using Microsoft Azure.

How has it helped my organization?

There is on-premises AD and cloud AD. We are able to sync the solution and use the load technology and password management features.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features in Active Directory are the password writeback product and the MDM technology.

What needs improvement?

The on-premises AD comes with a lot of options and group policies. With the group policies, we are using screen saver a lot, and it is messing up Azure AD and isn't working effectively. We are also using MDM technology through Azure. For Android the MDM technology is okay, but it doesn't work properly on iPhones.

When we do a screen share and screenshots, it doesn't work on the iPhone. For Android, it will only work for Outlook, which is provided in the company portal.

I would like to see the group policies on the same platform on cloud.

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For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for almost two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and everything is working. In terms of connecting the web application, there is technology for single sign-on. When we use it, the solution opens very slowly. It might be a bandwidth issue, and some content will not work on that portal.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. We haven't had any issues.

We have 500 people using this solution in our company. We have increased usage, and we have plans to increase more. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is very good. They work quickly to resolve any issues.

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

We are using an earlier non-premises AD, but we want to move to the cloud setup, which is easier for end users and everyone else due to the pandemic situation.

How was the initial setup?

Setup was straightforward. Implementation took three months.

For the deployment process, we had a technical team of two people who did everything. They are engineers.

What about the implementation team?

We used a consultant for deployment. I think we used a Microsoft partner.

It was a good experience and not very complicated. I think I realized that they are not seeing many implementations. There's a tool in Microsoft Azure called an endpoint security tool, and they don't know how to implement it.

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

We have a yearly license.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 9 out of 10.

This product is very nice. It's a legacy application, so the people using it are very familiar with it.

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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reviewer1752252 - PeerSpot reviewer
Info Security Manager at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
MSP
Jan 20, 2022
Allows us to keep everything on the cloud for business continuity
Pros and Cons
  • "We haven't had any problems with stability. Everything works fine."
  • "Reading documentation could be simplified. Technical support could also be faster."

What is our primary use case?

We use Office 365. We have different licenses because our users are using mail, mail strategies, Microsoft Teams, and the Office package. We use a lot of different services. We use Microsoft Intune, which is connected to Azure and other services like Conditional Access, which we also use. Microsoft Defender is another one, which is also connected to Azure.

The solution is deployed fully in the cloud through Microsoft Azure. We are using the latest version. The solution is on cloud, so we cannot control the version we're using. That is controlled by Microsoft.

What is most valuable?

We are satisfied with this solution because we use all of its features.

What needs improvement?

Reading documentation could be simplified. Technical support could also be faster.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used Azure Active Directory for several years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any problems with stability. Everything works fine.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We haven't had any issues with scalability.

We have approximately 500 users in our organization. We have plans to increase the number of people in our company and products because we're fully integrated with Microsoft and we will continue to use this solution and new ones.

We are an IT company, so the people who are using this solution are software developers.

How are customer service and support?

I'm not satisfied with technical support. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would give it a 2.

Sometimes it is the first-line support, and it takes a lot of time to explain the problem. One problem can be discussed in one month. I even have some examples in the past where I created a request, my problem wasn't resolved, I found solution on the internet. It was faster than receiving a reply from Microsoft.

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

Previously, we used Active Directory on-premise. We also used different products from different vendors.

We switched to Microsoft because it is in the cloud and because of business continuity. For our company, it is better to use everything on the cloud than to keep it on-premise.

It's also better to go to the cloud because of security reasons.

How was the initial setup?

On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate the difficulty of setup as a 3. It's of medium difficulty.

With setup, sometimes there are difficulties with reading documentation because if you want to implement something, you have to go to Microsoft's instructions, and you will be redirected from one page to another. After reading about just one topic, you have to open 20 new tabs. Every time, you have to jump between instructions, from one instruction to another. I don't like this approach, personally. It should be done in one document, and the instructions could be a little bit simpler for the user.

We implemented Microsoft step-by-step, because first we only used the Office package. Then we started using the Intune solution. Later, we implemented Microsoft Defender, and continued working with Conditional Access. It is not like one setup, so it's a continuous process. It depends on organization scale and the needs from organization.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed the solution ourselves.

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

The price is fine. It's a good value for the money compared with other solutions.

I cannot provide the exact numbers because we use a different type of licensing. For Azure, we have an Office 365 license. We also have a Microsoft Gold partnership and some products are included in one license.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.

The product is really good, but it's up to each company to decide.

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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reviewer1225143 - PeerSpot reviewer
Integration Manager at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Jan 13, 2022
Affordable, easy to set up, and offers very good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "Technical support has been great."
  • "The synchronization between my AD and Azure AD needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the product for the authentication for all of Office 365. It is also my single sign-on solution.

What is most valuable?

The solution is stable.

It's a very easy product to set up.

The product can scale well.

Technical support has been great.

It's an affordable solution.

What needs improvement?

The synchronization with my AD is not the best. The synchronization between my AD and Azure AD needs improvement. For example, for reports, et cetera, due to the fact that now I have two different ADs - one for local AD and another for Azure AD, the types of fields in the local AD do not sync with Azure AD. It's completely different.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for four or five years at this point. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. The performance is good. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is great. You can expand it as needed. We have about 2,000 users on the product right now. 

How are customer service and support?

We've used technical support in the past. They have always been excellent. We're quite happy with its capabilities. 

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

Previously, I used Okta. I switched to Azure AD due to the fact that it's part of Office 365. It does not have a cost. It's not exactly free; it's part of the Microsoft bundle.

How was the initial setup?

We found the implementation process to be quite straightforward and simple. It's not overly complex or difficult. 

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

It's pretty inexpensive to use the product, as it comes with the general Mircosoft bundle. Its costs are baked into using Microsoft in general. It makes it pretty affordable. 

What other advice do I have?

I'm an end-user of the product.

We're always on the latest version of the product. Being on the cloud ensures we are always up-to-date on versions. 

I'd rate the product at 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: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Senior System & Security Administrator at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 20
Jan 10, 2022
Good performance and easy to install with good connectivity to our on-premise Active Directory
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability of the product is decent."
  • "The synchronization with the local Active Directory and synchronization with all of the users on the local and cloud could be better."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily used for handling user permission and containing with the Online Exchange. It's for handling user passwords, user permissions, all of the privileges, and for using Azure Active Directory for the Online Exchange.

What is most valuable?

We're satisfied with the product in general.

The most valuable aspect of the solution is the connectivity with our on-premise Active Directory.

We've found the performance to be very good.

The stability is good.

The scalability of the product is decent.

The installation process is straightforward.

What needs improvement?

The synchronization with the local Active Directory and synchronization with all of the users on the local and cloud could be better. Every user on the cloud and the on-premise local users should have a connection, have the same privilege, the same features. We should be able to change passwords from the local and have it synchronized with the cloud users.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for four years. It's been a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. The solution offers good performance. 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?

We've found the scalability of the product to be very good. There aren't any issues with expanding as needed.

In my organization, we have about 25 users. I deployed it for another organization as my company is a service consultant. Therefore, I do this installation for other users and other companies. There are about 60 users in one and another has 100 users. Another company has only 20 users there. The amount of users each organization has varies. 

We do plan to grow our team and possibly use the solution more. 

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted technical support from Microsoft many times, including when the mailing system is down or when I have a problem with Active Directory or Azure. I contact the help desk for Microsoft, and they reply to me in about one hour and help me to solve any issue. It takes about three or four hours and at that point usually, everything is resolved.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very straightforward and simple. It was not overly complex or difficult. We didn't have any problems with the process.

The deployment for the local setup takes some time. For the cloud, it's very straightforward, and it takes no time at all. It takes about two hours to totally install the hybrid, the connection, and go on with the application.

We have about five people who can handle deployment and maintenance duties. That includes me and five engineers.

What about the implementation team?

I can handle the implementation myself. I do not need the help of an integrator or consultant.

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

We have many customers that purchase licensing agreements with Azure. Typically they are charged per user.

What other advice do I have?

We're a partner.

I would recommend the solution to others. If they just read a bit about it and connect with Microsoft, they'll likely get some good advice as to how to use it. 

I'd rate it at 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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Sr. System Engineer at PT Smartfren Telecom Tbk
Real User
Jan 9, 2022
Helpful support, useful policy management, and priced well
Pros and Cons
  • "Azure Active Directory has useful policy assigning and management."
  • "I had some issues with the Azure Active Directory on Windows XP. However, it worked well on Windows 7."

What is our primary use case?

We use Azure Active Directory to make the computers have policies that we inspect. This allows us to deploy software and block the CMD from the user. Additionally, we deploy the desktop systems with password policies.

How has it helped my organization?

Azure Active Directory has helped the organization maintain the user policies of their computer systems.

What is most valuable?

Azure Active Directory has useful policy assigning and management.

What needs improvement?

I had some issues with the Azure Active Directory on Windows XP. However, it worked well on Windows 7.

The password policy that we had in place caused some system lockups.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Azure Active Directory within the last 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Azure Active Directory is easy to scale. You can add new employees, by adding their device to the domain assisting.

We have approximately 300 people using this solution in my organization.

My organization plans to continue to use Azure Active Directory.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support has been helpful.

How was the initial setup?

The installation was simple. I did the flash OS installation, created the role of the Active Directory, and deployed the GPO. The full process of implementation takes approximately one hour and setting the Active Directory domain takes approximately 30 minutes.

What about the implementation team?

I did the implementation of Azure Active Directory.

What was our ROI?

The company I work for has more than 10 branches, we no longer have to go to the branch outside the city to have the application installed on the user's devices. When you have Active Directory, you only need to connect it to the device and then the information will automatically populate. The process was more automated.

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

The price of the solution's license is good.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Azure Active Directory an eight of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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reviewer1754034 - PeerSpot reviewer
Executive Director at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Jan 4, 2022
Gives users seamless integration with many products, streamlining user experience, helping them get things done
Pros and Cons
  • "The single sign-on across multiple platforms is really the true advantage here. That gives you one ID and password for access to all your systems. You don't need to manage a plethora of different user IDs and passwords to all the systems that you're going to access."
  • "The downside is that we now have all our eggs in one basket with Microsoft. We have this great authentication and single sign-on, but if Microsoft has an outage in North America or globally, on Outlook or Teams, we're dead in the water... We get some type of hiccup once a quarter."

What is our primary use case?

Active Directory is used for authentication and provisioning for users and devices and granting them access.

We're in a hybrid mode where we still have on-prem controllers as well.

How has it helped my organization?

The beauty is that it affords us more of an anytime, anywhere operation because we're not tied to an on-prem solution. From a customer experience standpoint, users don't really care about what goes on behind the scenes technically. They just want their lives to be easier. Now that they can access Office 365 globally, anywhere from any device, that's huge. That helps productivity and gives them the ability to get work done. And having to manage fewer passwords and user IDs is another true advantage.

The solution gives users seamless integration to all these products and streamlines the user experience. That's definitely been a pro.

In this completely upside-down world that we're in these days, with most people elsewhere and very few people in the office, it gives us tremendous flexibility for keeping people productive and providing them with access to the data and tools that they need to perform their jobs. It has given us the opportunity to move to this more mobile environment.

Also, the SSO aspect improves our security posture because people aren't writing down or creating a list of all their passwords. Now they only have to remember one. It has definitely made it easier for them to manage. In addition, we've introduced MFA so that whenever you sign in, you're also challenged for approval on your mobile device. That adds to the security.

What is most valuable?

The single sign-on across multiple platforms is really the true advantage here. That gives you one ID and password for access to all your systems. You don't need to manage a plethora of different user IDs and passwords to all the systems that you're going to access. 

What needs improvement?

The downside is that we now have all our eggs in one basket with Microsoft. We have this great authentication and single sign-on, but if Microsoft has an outage in North America or globally, on Outlook or Teams, we're dead in the water. There is no drop-back-and-punt. There is no "Plan B." The bottom line is that if their services go down, our productivity goes with it. Working with them when we have outages can be very frustrating. We get some type of hiccup once a quarter.

We get service notifications from them all the time that the services are under investigation or that there is some type of issue. More than the headache of not completely understanding the severity, we have to make sure that we communicate with our end-users. We get to the point where we're potentially "crying wolf." We're telling them there's a problem but some people don't have the problem. Then they get to the point where they just ignore our communication.

Outages can last hours, but never more than a day. They can be regional outages where one area is affected and other areas aren't. The advantage is that it could be evening or night in the area that is down, so it's less impactful.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Azure Active Directory at my current company for just about four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

My impression of the stability is mixed. If it were really working correctly, it should be able to digest these outages by rerouting us to other areas. But that doesn't happen.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have a global footprint, so it scales globally, no doubt.

How are customer service and support?

Tech support from Microsoft has been cumbersome for Office 365. We don't really get the answers we want in a timely manner. There are times that we get the runaround, and that's the downside to being an early adopter and being on the leading edge. Sometimes we have to sometimes QA and work out issues with their products, which I'd rather not have to do.

A larger shop, like a Goldman Sachs or a JP Morgan, is not going to adopt this stuff until it's mature. And that means that smaller companies, like ours, have worked out the kinks.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

Before AAD we used the on-prem version with on-prem controllers. We went with AAD because there was no other option. We had their on-prem solution, and in the evolution directed by our CTO, everything is moving to the cloud. The next logical next step was to move to AAD.

How was the initial setup?

I didn't set it up, the guys who work for me did it. I think it was fairly complex because we're about to go through an acquisition and we are going to merge them into our tenant. We have to outsource some of that work to a third party to assist us with that because we don't have the in-house skills.

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

Costs are constantly being managed. We don't really have a choice. It's the one shop in town. If you want this, you have to pay for it. We have an E5 license, which I believe is the most expensive license.

What other advice do I have?

From an AAD standpoint, I don't think we've had any issues. The data replicates correctly and no one really has a problem with their credentials from AAD. It's meeting our expectations.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
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Ajay Kuamr - PeerSpot reviewer
Network and Computer Systems Administrator at Bahwan
Real User
Dec 13, 2021
It's compatible with a lot of vendors, and we have multiple products integrated with it
Pros and Cons
  • "The best thing about Active Directory is its compatibility. It works with lots of third-party vendors. We're using multiple products, and they're all integrated with our Active Directory."
  • "Active Directory could always be more secure. Right now, we've got two-factor authentications. All services based on Active Directory have a username and password. If somebody hacked our username, they could easily get all the data from our side. So I want two-factor authentication and a stronger password policy from Active Directory. The domain controllers should be more secure as well."

What is our primary use case?

We use Active Directory to manage our main database and control students and staff access with rules and passwords. Usernames, emails, etc., are all integrated with Active Directory. Office 365 is also integrated with our Active Directory.

What is most valuable?

The best thing about Active Directory is its compatibility. It works with lots of third-party vendors. We're using multiple products, and they're all integrated with our Active Directory.

What needs improvement?

Active Directory could always be more secure. Right now, we've got two-factor authentications. All services based on Active Directory have a username and password. If somebody hacked our username, they could easily get all the data from our side. So I want two-factor authentication and a stronger password policy from Active Directory. The domain controllers should be more secure as well.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Microsoft Active Directory for more than 10 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Active Directory is a stable, scalable product.

How are customer service and support?

Microsoft technical support is very good. They call us back and resolve the problem.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is effortless because we've been using this solution for a while. We are familiar with the setup now, so it's easier.

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

We get a discount because we're working in the education sector. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Active Directory eight out of 10. I think this is a good product. Most enterprises are using this. We don't currently have any plans to switch, but we're planning to migrate more into the cloud. However, cloud service is still costly, so we are working on the premiums. I would recommend Active Directory for any large-scale company, organization, or university. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

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

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
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Assistant General Manager at ELEVATE Solutions Limited
Real User
Dec 8, 2021
Reasonably priced and scalable with a nice user interface
Pros and Cons
  • "The technical support is pretty good."
  • "The monitoring dashboard could be a bit better."

What is our primary use case?

We use this and Microsoft Intune. Azure Active Directory is an identity solution and a mandatory requirement. Without Azure Active Directory, Intune would not work.

What is most valuable?

Within Azure Active Directory, the single sign-on feature is the best aspect. Right now, the world is moving to the cloud. Nowadays, every vendor is developing their cloud. With this, I can have a single sign-on and move around from place to place easily.

The technical support is pretty good.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. 

I have found the solution to be stable so far.

The scalability potential is good. 

The pricing of the product is reasonable. 

The interface, in general, looks okay. 

The solution has built-in backup capabilities. 

What needs improvement?

So far, the solution has worked well for us. there are no missing features. 

The monitoring dashboard could be a bit better.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. the performance and reliability are good. There aren't issues with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

You can scale this solution if you need to. It's not a problem. 

How are customer service and support?

We haven't dealt much with technical support, as we haven't really needed it, however, if we did need assistance, they have been helpful. Overall, it's been a positive experience. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very, very easy. It's not complex or difficult at all.

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

There are multiple options for pricing. One is standalone. Another is within a package. If we consider an F1 package, I'm getting Azure Active Directory, Intune, and Microsoft Information Protection. If I'm taking the Azure Active Directory virtual feature under the plan, under the package, it's affordable. They offer a very good price.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate the solution at a perfect ten out of ten overall. It's the best product. I'm really happy with it. 

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
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Entra ID Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Entra ID Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.