{"id":60505,"date":"2022-12-12T16:05:52","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T08:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/version-2.com\/?p=60505"},"modified":"2023-02-22T14:31:37","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T06:31:37","slug":"can-i-replace-active-directory-with-azure-ad-no-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/version-2.com\/en\/2022\/12\/can-i-replace-active-directory-with-azure-ad-no-heres-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I Replace Active Directory with Azure AD? No, Here\u2019s Why"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Can I replace <\/em>Microsoft Active Directory<\/em><\/a> with <\/em>Azure Active Directory<\/em><\/a>?<\/em> This is a very common question for IT professionals. With almost all of the IT environment moving to the cloud, there are a number of incentives to move the core directory service to the cloud too. Unfortunately, Microsoft\u2019s path to the cloud can be unwieldy, expensive, and difficult to comprehend. It\u2019s also heavily focused on Windows as its first-class citizen and the Microsoft ecosystem at large.<\/p>

It all starts with Azure Active Directory (AAD), Microsoft\u2019s foray into cloud-based directory services<\/a>. It\u2019s reasonable to think that it would have all the capabilities of Active Directory\u00ae<\/sup> (AD), as the name implies, but the truth is more complicated than that \u2014 even before Microsoft\u2019s licensing factors in.<\/p>

Azure AD\u2019s True Purpose<\/h2>

AAD was created to extend Microsoft\u2019s presence into the cloud. It connects Active Directory users with Microsoft Azure services, and is easier to implement than Active Directory Federation Services (ADFS<\/a>) for single sign-on (SSO). It doesn\u2019t incorporate the full features of Active Directory and lacks support for authentication protocols including LDAP and RADIUS. It may manage non-Microsoft identities, but there are additional fees for multi-factor authentication (MFA). A gated licensing model keeps many features behind a paywall. For example, group management with role-based access control (RBAC) isn\u2019t included with the free tier of AAD.<\/p>

AAD is the cornerstone of Microsoft\u2019s portfolio of identity, compliance, device management, and security products, because it provides a common identity for Azure, Intune<\/a>, M365, and more. The permutations of products and challenges of migrating from Active Directory to the cloud have given rise to a cottage industry<\/a> of consultants for implementation and planning. The breadth of configurations and options may be fitting for enterprises that have considerable resources to support deployments. Considering that it\u2019s not even possible to abide by Microsoft\u2019s best practices for AAD without subscribing to Premium tiers, AAD may be a mismatch for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have more essential needs.<\/p>

Costs tick upward when SEMs are pulled deeper into the Azure ecosystem or require interoperability with services that fall outside of the Microsoft stack. For example, fees are assessed for unrestricted cross-domain SSO and MFA authentications with other identities. <\/p>