The Top 7 Active Directory Management Tools
Discover the Top Active Directory Management Tools with features such as role-based access control, backup and recovery, and auditing and reporting.
Written by Mirren McDade
Technical Review by Laura Iannini
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Adaxes by Softerra
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JumpCloud
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Lepide Data Security Platform
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Netwrix
Active Directory (AD) management tools simplify the administration and monitoring of user access to network resources.They support IT teams in handling tasks like user and group management, permissions, password resets, and security policies.
Active directory management tools implement company policies, automate tasks, and handle security within a network to ensure consistency and control. By efficiently managing resources, these tools help businesses maintain security protocols, compliance standards, and efficiency in operations.
Our Shortlist of the top AD management tools is based on product functionality, user reviews, and our own in-house technical testing. We’ve highlighted key features and benefits of each solution so you can more easily evaluate which AD tool is best suited to your needs.
ManageEngine AD Manager Plus is a comprehensive Active Directory management tool designed to simplify identity governance and administration across hybrid environments.
Who it’s for: Ideal for mid-sized to large enterprises requiring streamlined identity management.
Benefits: ManageEngine AD Manager Plus excels in providing a robust set of tools for managing Active Directory, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace environments. It offers seamless integration and automation, enhancing organizational security and efficiency.
- Automate and manage AD user accounts and groups individually or in bulk, with provisioning across multiple platforms like AD, Exchange, Google Workspace, Office 365, and Skype for Business.
- Reset users’ passwords and enforce password policies, including setting expirations and requiring password changes upon login.
- Generate detailed reports on Active Directory, highlighting expired user accounts and potential security gaps.
- Manage Microsoft 365 and Exchange licenses and mailboxes seamlessly for AD users.
The bottom line: ManageEngine AD Manager Plus stands out for its comprehensive approach to identity governance and lifecycle management. It’s a vital tool for enterprises aiming to enhance security and streamline administration processes, with features that support both cloud and on-premises environments.
- Founded in 2002, ManageEngine serves thousands of clients worldwide. A free version of the software is also available for small organizations.
Adaxes by Softerra
Adaxes is a dedicated automation and management tool for Active Directory, Microsoft Entra ID, Exchange, and Microsoft 365 that runs in the browser.
Who it’s for: Best suited to enterprises that need comprehensive management and automation capabilities for Microsoft environments.
Benefits: Adaxes excels in simplifying and automating complex administrative tasks across your Microsoft ecosystem.
- Allows you to manage multiple domains seamlessly from a single, intuitive web interface.
- Automate user provisioning, group membership, license management, and mailbox management.
- Freely arrange users, groups, and resource mailboxes in an accessible structure.
- Utilize a REST API for extended customization and integration.
The bottom line: Adaxes is a robust solution that streamlines and automates Active Directory and Microsoft 365 management tasks, making it a valuable tool for large organizations.
- Softerra, founded in 1999, is headquartered in Ukraine and serves a diverse international client base.
Adaxes by Softerra
JumpCloud
JumpCloud is an identity management platform that offers a modern solution to replace or integrate with legacy Active Directory systems.
Who it’s for: Highly suitable for organizations looking to streamline their identity management processes, including enterprises, MSPs, educational institutions, and nonprofits.
Benefits: JumpCloud simplifies and automates identity management with versatile integration capabilities and robust features.
- Easily import identities from your AD instance to simplify and automate identity management.
- The Open Cloud Directory allows for the creation of user accounts directly within JumpCloud or by importing them from an existing directory.
- Users can maintain a single login for access to both AD and JumpCloud-managed resources.
- Identity lifecycle management functionality empowers administrators to create, update, and revoke user identities and access via a single console.
The bottom line: JumpCloud modernizes identity management by offering flexible integration with Active Directory and powerful automation features. This platform allows you to streamline operations and enhance security across a broad range of organizations.
- Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Louisville, CO, JumpCloud serves a diverse clientele with its innovative identity management solutions.
JumpCloud
Lepide Data Security Platform
Lepide Data Security Platform offers comprehensive Active Directory security with automation and auditing capabilities from a centralized console. This solution offers hundreds of pre-defined reporting templates, along with full audit logs.
Who it’s for: Best suited for enterprises needing advanced Active Directory monitoring and automation.
Benefits: Lepide Data Security Platform excels in automation and auditing, ensuring enhanced security and simplified management of Active Directory.
- Identifies issues like inactive user accounts or stale data that can pose security risks.
- Automates common Active Directory IT tasks such as account lockouts, password expirations/resets, and object restoration.
- Maintains a comprehensive history of AD events with advanced searching, sorting, and filtering capabilities.
- Visualizes user access levels within Active Directory for better access control.
The bottom line: Lepide Data Security Platform is an effective solution for enterprises seeking robust Active Directory security through automation, real-time alerts, and comprehensive auditing capabilities.
- Lepide, founded in 2005, is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and serves over 5,000 clients globally.
Lepide Data Security Platform
Netwrix
Netwrix provides robust solutions for Active Directory management and auditing.
Who it’s for: Ideal for enterprises and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) needing comprehensive Active Directory management and security auditing.
Benefits: Netwrix offers two key solutions catering to different aspects of Active Directory management and security. Netwrix GroupID User Management simplifies user and group administration through automation, while Netwrix Auditor enhances security with thorough activity tracking and compliance reporting.
- Automate user provisioning and deprovisioning
- Use workflows to control access and require approval from resource owners before sensitive requests are carried out
- All activity within GroupID is tracked in an audit log
- Reports on changes to Group Policy settings with full details and before-and-after values
- Can compare current AD configuration to a known good baseline to identify issues
The bottom line: Netwrix’s suite of solutions offers reliable, automated management and thorough auditing capabilities, making Active Directory management more efficient and secure.
- Netwrix serves over 10,000 organizations globally, specializing in data security and risk mitigation solutions.
Netwrix
NinjaOne
NinjaOne’s Active Directory Management within their RMM platform enables comprehensive monitoring and streamlined management of AD users and domain controllers.
Who it’s for: Ideal for enterprises and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) looking for an efficient AD management and monitoring across multiple devices.
Benefits: NinjaOne’s Active Directory Management offers robust, high-level capabilities for AD domain health monitoring and user administration, providing seamless integration within its RMM platform.
- Users can swiftly access and review detailed information on user accounts within an Active Directory Domain Controller.
- AD user management actions (like disabling, unlocking, or modifying group memberships) can be executed effortlessly.
- The Ninja agent auto-detects whether a server is a primary or secondary domain controller upon installation.
- Consolidated AD user data from all domain controllers allows centralized user management from a single interface.
The bottom line: NinjaOne’s Active Directory Management feature excels in providing a unified, efficient way to monitor and manage AD domain controllers and users. This integration within the NinjaOne RMM platform enhances operational efficiency and control.
- NinjaOne serves over 17,000 customers worldwide, delivering comprehensive IT management solutions through its advanced RMM platform.
NinjaOne
Okta
Okta’s AD integration facilitates cloud-based management for identity and access, complimenting existing on-premise AD setups.
Who it’s for: Ideal for enterprises seeking robust identity and access management with seamless cloud integration.
Benefits: Okta provides a comprehensive solution to manage Active Directory in the cloud, enhancing identity and access capabilities.
- Allows for Single Sign-On (SSO), automated provisioning, and deprovisioning, simplifying cloud access management.
- Rule-based provisioning automatically allocates applications to users based on AD security groups, enhancing efficiency and security.
- Features an audit trail for compliance, enabling administrators to demonstrate adherence to security standards.
- Secure SSL encryption for agent communication, with the ability to revoke access at any time by deactivating security tokens.
The bottom line: Okta’s Active Directory integration is an effective tool for enterprises aiming to extend their AD capabilities to the cloud. It offers seamless SSO, automated user management, and robust security features.
- Founded in 2009, Okta is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and specializes in identity and access management solutions.
Okta
Everything You Need to Know About Active Directory Management Tools (FAQs)
What Is An Active Directory Management Tool?
Active Directory (AD) is a Microsoft service that provides centralized authentication and authorization to network resources. Active Directory is used in business environments to make managing users simpler, as well as to more effectively control data access and enforce company policies regarding security.
Active Directory management is the practice of overseeing and controlling Active Directory (AD), a Microsoft technology used for managing networks. This involves overseeing network resources, safeguarding data, organizing information, setting up and managing user accounts, and implementing security measures.
An Active Directory (AD) management tools are designed to simplify and automate the administration of Microsoft Active Directory services. These tools help IT teams manage user accounts, permissions, groups, and security policies across an organization’s network. By streamlining complex tasks, AD management tools enhance security, ensure compliance, and reduce the time spent on routine administrative tasks, which makes it easier to maintain an organized and secure directory infrastructure.
How Do Active Directory Management Tools Work?
Active directory management tools work by providing an interface that simplifies the management of users, groups, and permissions within Microsoft’s Active Directory. These tools automate tasks such as user provisioning, password resets, and access control, while offering features like reporting, auditing, and role-based management. By integrating with Active Directory, they enable administrators to efficiently manage directory services, enforce security policies, and maintain compliance, all from a centralized platform.
What Features Should You Look for in Active Directory Management Tools?
When choosing an Active Directory Management Tool, consider the following features:
- Role-Based Access Control – This works by assigning permissions to users based on their roles within the organization. This then allows administrators to better manage access to resources by grouping permissions according to roles, rather than assigning them individually to each user. This simplifies access management, improves security, and helps maintain compliance.
- Delegation of Administrative Tasks – This feature allows specific administrative privileges to be assigned to different IT personnel, without granting full access to the entire Active Directory. This means that lower-level employees and helpdesk staff can be better utilized as they can perform specific tasks, while still having limited access to sensitive functions. This improves efficiency, without negatively impacting security.
- Backup and Recovery – By regularly saving copies of directory data (such as user accounts, groups, and permissions), you can ensure a complete restore in the event of data loss or corruption. This protects against negative impact of system failures, accidental deletions, and security beaches, helping to maintain business continuity and safeguarding critical directory services.
- Auditing and Reporting – This involves tracking and logging changes in the directory, such as user account modifications, permission updates, and login activities. Auditing and Reporting enhances security by detecting suspicious activities, ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, and helps administrators quickly identify and resolve issues. This helps to maintain the integrity and security of the directory.
- Automation – Automation reduces manual workload, minimizing the likelihood of errors, saving time, and improving overall efficiency by streamlining repetitive tasks like password resetting, account creation, policy enforcement, user provisioning, and permissions workflows. It does this by automatically executing predefined workflows.
- Integration – Being able to connect with other systems, such as HR software, CRM platforms, or cloud services, is important as this allows for seamless data sharing and synchronization across systems, automating user account management and updates based on changes in external systems.
Written By
Mirren McDade is a senior writer and journalist at Expert Insights, spending each day researching, writing, editing and publishing content, covering a variety of topics and solutions, and interviewing industry experts. She is an experienced copywriter with a background in a range of industries, including cloud business technologies, cloud security, information security and cyber security, and has conducted interviews with several industry experts. Mirren holds a First Class Honors degree in English from Edinburgh Napier University.
Technical Review
Laura Iannini is an Information Security Engineer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity from the University of West Florida. Laura has experience with a variety of cybersecurity platforms and leads technical reviews of leading solutions. She conducts thorough product tests to ensure that Expert Insights’ reviews are definitive and insightful.