Active Directory (AD) is Windows’ proprietary directory service that offers centralized authentication and authorization of network resources. It works by storing data as “objects”, which are single entities or resources (such as users and computers), and categorizing them based on their names and attributes.
This enables your IT administrators to easily manage permissions and control objects in a single environment.
NinjaOne gives you full visibility into the health and performance of your Active Directory domain controllers.
Active Directory components
There are many components to Active Directory. The most basic administrative unit of AD is the “domain”. AD domains serve three boundaries, namely:
- Administrative. These allow AD environments to be separated into areas of responsibility.
- Replication. These ensure that domain information, such as user accounts, is not redundant or replicated.
- Security. This covers your security policies and guarantees that AD domains are secure within their boundaries.
AD domains can then be broken down further into:
- Organizational units. These are your collection of users, computers, and groups.
- User and computer accounts. These are AD objects that represent people and their devices.
Administrators group users and computer objects and assign permissions to each group. Currently, Active Directory has three types of groups: domain local groups, global groups, and universal groups. Each group has a specific function.
How does Active Directory work?
The primary function of Active Directory is to authenticate and authorize objects in your network, wherein:
- Authentication verifies a user’s credentials and stores them in the AD database.
- Authorization grants or denies a user access to perform an action, such as editing a file or accessing an application.
These services are deployed on a Windows server called a domain controller.
Services offered by Active Directory
The main service in Active Directory is Domain Services (AD DS), which essentially stores objects and handles user interaction in a Windows domain. The domain controller that hosts AD DS stores and authenticates network resources and oversees the communication between other domain controllers. Other services offered by Active Directory include:
- Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS). This server role protects your organization’s intellectual property, including emails, documents, projects, etc.
- Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS). An independent mode of AD, AD LDS provides directory services for applications. It’s worth noting that AD LDS does not have directory capabilities for the Windows operating system and only focuses on specific applications.
- Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS). This Windows Server role issues and manages public key infrastructure (PKI) certificates. AD CS also enables users to connect to a Certificate Authority with a web browser.
- Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS). This provides single sign-on (SSO) access to systems and applications within the enterprise boundary.
Is Active Directory important?
Active Directory is an integral part of any Windows network environment. Whether you’re an MSP overseeing some services for your clients or an IT enterprise wanting to take a more streamlined management approach in your own organization, AD is extremely useful and important.
At its core, Active Directory is a database, and users benefit from its simplicity. It stores objects, including user and computer accounts created by administrators. These are then used to manage authentication.
During the login process, your username and password are matched against what AD has on file. If these match, you are authenticated and allowed on the network. If not, you are immediately blocked.
As you can see, this makes Active Directory incredibly significant in managing and controlling your network. It’s also worth noting that many of Microsoft’s core on-premises and Azure cloud services are built on an AD infrastructure. AD also offers limited support for Linux and macOS systems.
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What are the benefits of using Active Directory?
Active Directory is not just a unified directory service. It also benefits organizations by:
- Streamlining user management. AD simplifies user management by empowering IT personnel to create, modify, or delete users across the network. Administrators can also reset passwords, which is essential in remote or hybrid work.
- Enhancing network security. Active Directory safeguards sensitive data with its group policies and access controls. For example, you can set specific permissions for certain groups, ensuring only authorized users can access sensitive data.
- Simplifying resource sharing. AD makes sharing resources, such as printers or files, simpler since these objects are all centrally available.
- Streamlining implementation of group policies. Administrators can control how your system operates and what can be done, from setting up firewall rules to improving security.
- Diagnosing vulnerabilities faster. Having a centralized system enables your administrators to detect security vulnerabilities easily.
What are the disadvantages of Active Directory?
It would be inaccurate to say that Active Directory has inherent disadvantages, as it is simply a tool for better user management. That said, AD can become complex and expensive as you scale your network environment.
Keep in mind that you may also need to pay for various hardware and Microsoft licenses and hire multiple IT personnel to administer the domain. These personnel would require regular training to keep up-to-date with the latest AD advancements.
Manage Active Directory directly in NinjaOne
Active Directory is an essential directory service that is foundational to many of Microsoft’s most popular products. It is crucial that you can easily manage AD to realize better business outcomes without having to pay for multiple services that may or may not work seamlessly together.
NinjaOne removes the confusion with its Active Directory management tool, built directly into its RMM.
If you’re ready, request a free quote, sign up for a 14-day free trial, or watch a demo.
Other Active Directory resources for you
- How to Install & Import PowerShell Active Directory Module
- Active Directory Backup: Overview with Examples
- How to Install Active Directory (AD) Users and Computers (ADUC)
- How to Connect to Active Directory Remotely and Manage Users
- Active Directory Authentication: A Complete Overview
- Is Free Open Source Active Directory Management Right for You?
- What Is Group Policy in Active Directory?
- How to Add an Email Alias in Active Directory
