Updated: July 23, 2020 (June 25, 2018)

AAD DS Limitations Versus AD DS

Wes Miller analyzes and writes about Microsoft’s security, identity management, and systems management technologies. Before joining Directions on Microsoft, Wes... more

Azure Active Directory Domain Services (AAD DS) has limitations that an organization would not face if they relied on domain controllers running in Azure VMs or on-premises. This could make it harder to migrate some systems to Azure, and it prevents AAD DS from replacing Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) on-premises. The accompanying chart shows some of the major differences between AAD DS and AD DS running in Azure VMs.

Capability	Description	AAD DS	AD DS in VMs
AD domain/forest trusts	Trust relationship possible between this directory and another directory or forest.	No	Yes
Custom Organizational Units (OUs)	Create OUs to enable delegated management of user or computer accounts, groups, etc.	Yes	Yes
Domain authentication	Authenticate to multiple corporate systems using AD domain credentials and the NTLM and Kerberos authentication protocols.	Yes	Yes
Domain join	Join a Windows-based device

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