Identity Management Roadmap

• Microsoft’s identity infrastructure for on-premises software or hosted services increasingly requires Microsoft-hosted paid services.
• Azure Active Directory is not an exact replacement for Active Directory Domain Services.
• Some Azure Active Directory features require a specific type of Active Directory Domain Services integration.

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) continues to be the hub of identity and access management for many organizations’ networks and on-premises systems. However, Microsoft’s hosted Azure Active Directory (AAD) is increasingly required to use Microsoft-hosted services. Customers with significant on-premises Windows Server infrastructure should understand Microsoft’s direction for enterprise identity and access management (IAM), which already encourages—and will likely require—adoption or migration to AAD paid tier subscriptions for an increasing number of users.

The Role of Active Directory

AD DS, sometimes referred to as Active Directory or AD, has been the core of Microsoft’s IAM infrastructure since Windows 2000. AD DS is a Windows Server role and requires Windows Server Client Access Licenses (CALs) for all users or devices accessing the service. AD DS includes a directory of users and computers that is fully compliant with the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). AD DS also provides the authentication infrastructure needed for users to access AD-compatible services and applications.