Differences Between Active Directory & Azure AD

Beyond the obvious difference of one solution being hosted on-prem (Microsoft^®Active Directory^® or AD or MAD) and the other existing in the cloud (Azure^® Active Directory or Azure AD or AAD), there are a number of differences between Active Directory and Azure AD that are important to understand. Realistically, if Microsoft had their way, there would be just one directory service solution available and everything would be on-prem (and this whole cloud thing would never have disrupted their cash generating machine). Unfortunately for them, the move to the cloud has forced Microsoft into a position where they now have many different services. These two, however, while having a number of similarities, come from different code bases, and each serves very different purposes within the identity and access management world. Let’s dive in.

Active Directory’s Limitations

For organizations searching for control over their on-prem devices and applications, the original Microsoft Active Directory (MAD or AD) is, seemingly, a potential choice. If you’re an all-Windows^® shop that utilizes only on-prem Microsoft resources, then it would make sense to leverage the legacy identity provider, AD. That’s because it works best with Windows systems, users, and Windows applications. But, as most IT admins already know, AD is a poor choice for multi-platform environments that take advantage of macOS^® and Linux^® systems, web-based applications, and non-Microsoft cloud infrastructure. Additionally, for organizations that not only have Linux machines but Linux-based applications as well, AD will struggle to control those user accounts as it cannot manage them natively. In an effort to provide a solution for web application access, Microsoft created Active Directory Federation Services. But, that’s a separate solution that requires on-prem maintenance.

With the vast majority of organizations shifting to the cloud, Microsoft recognized the need and created Azure AD. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do anything to help with the proliferation of non-Windows systems or the increased usage of cross-platform services though.

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