What is Active Directory?
Active Directory (AD) is a critical service in most of organizations because it serves as the centralized identity and access management system. AD helps to organize information related to devices. Users, applications, emails and many more. This can also integrate with most of the IT solutions (directly or indirectly), be it ITSM solution, Network Devices, Applications, Databases, Proxy solutions, VPNs etc.
Why Active Directory is required in an organization?
1. Centralized Authentication and Authorization
- AD stores user credentials and allows users to log in with a single set of credentials.
- It validates who the user is (authentication) and controls what they can access (authorization).
Example: A user logs into a Windows PC and gets access to email, files, and applications without needing to log in again (Single Sign-On).
2. Centralized Management of Users, Computers, and Policies
- Admins can manage all user accounts, devices, and security settings from a single location.
- Enables creation of organizational units (OUs) for structured management.
Example: IT can apply a policy that locks all employee screens after 10 minutes of inactivity.
3. Group Policy Enforcement
- Use Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to enforce security settings, software deployment, desktop configurations, etc., across all domain-joined devices.
Example: Automatically map network drives, install printers, or push antivirus software to all machines.
4. Integration with Other Services
- AD integrates with services like:
- Microsoft Exchange (email)
- SharePoint (collaboration)
- Office 365 / Azure AD (cloud identity)
- VPN, Wi-Fi access, and other enterprise tools
5. Single Sign-On (SSO) Capability
- AD enables users to log in once and access multiple resources without repeated authentication.
6. Auditing and Compliance
- Logs user and admin activity.
- Helps meet compliance standards like ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, etc.
Example: You can track who accessed sensitive financial or healthcare data and when.
7. Resource Access Control
- Controls access to files, printers, applications, and services using permissions and group memberships.
8. Scalability and Delegated Administration
- Easily scalable for small to large enterprises.
Allows delegation of administrative tasks by department or location.
What are the alternatives to Microsoft Active Directory (AD)?
There are several alternatives to Microsoft Active Directory (AD)—especially in cloud-first, hybrid, or non-Windows environments. These alternatives offer varying degrees of functionality in identity management, access control, and directory services.
Below is the list of the top alternatives to Active Directory, categorized by on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments:
1. Azure Active Directory (now Microsoft Entra ID) – Cloud-based AD
- Vendor: Microsoft
- Type: Cloud-native Identity as a Service (IDaaS)
- Best For: Cloud-first organizations using Microsoft 365, Azure, SaaS apps
- Pros:
- Integrates with Microsoft 365, Teams, Intune
- Supports SSO and MFA
- Conditional Access & identity governance
- Limitations:
- Not a complete replacement for on-prem AD (e.g., no GPO, no NTLM/Kerberos auth for legacy systems)
2. Okta
- Vendor: Okta Inc.
- Type: Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- Best For: Multi-cloud or SaaS-first organizations
- Pros:
- Strong SSO and MFA capabilities
- Great for SaaS application integration
- Lifecycle automation
- Limitations:
- Doesn’t provide device management or file/print service controls like AD
- Expensive for large-scale deployments
3. Jump Cloud Directory Platform
- Vendor: Jump Cloud
- Type: Cloud directory service (AD + LDAP + RADIUS)
- Best For: Cloud-native or cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)
- Pros:
- Device management, SSO, LDAP, RADIUS in one
- Cloud-based and OS-agnostic
- Limitations:
- Maturity and support levels may differ from AD in large enterprises
4. FreeIPA
- Vendor: Red Hat / Open Source
- Type: Linux-based identity management
- Best For: Linux-centric or open-source environments
- Pros:
- LDAP + Kerberos + DNS + Certificate management
- Tight integration with Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS
- Limitations:
- Not Windows-native; integration with AD environments can be complex
5. Open LDAP
- Vendor: Open Source
- Type: LDAP directory service
- Best For: Lightweight identity and directory management
- Pros:
- Lightweight and customizable
- Open source and widely adopted
- Limitations:
- No built-in GPO, SSO, or Kerberos
- Requires more manual effort for enterprise use
6. Google Cloud Identity / Google Workspace Identity
- Vendor: Google
- Type: Cloud IAM
- Best For: Organizations using Google Workspace
- Pros:
- Centralized user and group management
- Built-in MFA and SSO
- Limitations:
- Limited support for non-Google and legacy systems
7. AWS Directory Services
- Vendor: Amazon Web Services
- Type: Managed Microsoft AD, Simple AD, and AD Connector
- Best For: AWS-heavy environments needing domain join, LDAP, etc.
- Pros:
- Seamless integration with AWS EC2 and RDS
- Microsoft AD-compatible options
- Limitations:
- Limited to AWS ecosystem
8. Apache Directory Server
- Vendor: Apache Foundation
- Type: Java-based open-source LDAP server
- Best For: Custom-built or lightweight directory services
- Pros:
- Highly customizable
- Limitations:
Limited enterprise features (no native SSO, MFA, or device mgmt)
Comparison Summary Table
| Alternative | Type | Best For | Notable Feature |
| Azure AD (Entra ID) | Cloud IAM | Microsoft cloud ecosystem | Conditional Access, Identity Governance |
| Okta | Cloud IAM | SaaS-first environments | Excellent SSO and lifecycle mgmt |
| JumpCloud | Unified Directory | Cross-platform cloud infra | LDAP + RADIUS + Device mgmt |
| FreeIPA | Linux IDM | Linux/server environments | Full open-source domain service |
| OpenLDAP | Lightweight LDAP | Custom/legacy setups | Lightweight, highly customizable |
| Google Cloud Identity | Cloud IAM | Google Workspace users | Seamless Google services integration |
| AWS Directory Services | Managed Directory | AWS-hosted systems | AD-compatible options |
| Apache Directory Server | Open-source LDAP | Lightweight dev/test environments | Java-based, extensible LDAP |