Historically, Active Directory Users & Computers – also known as AD Users & Computers, or simply “ADUC” – has been the standard tool for AD management:
The AD Users & Computers administration tool was released in the year 2000 when Microsoft launched Windows Server 2000 and Active Directory.
AD Users & Computers is probably the most resilient piece of software that ever existed:
How many other graphical user interfaces in computers (or any type of electronics) look pretty much the same after more than two decades of good use?
Active Directory Users & Computers is clearly a very popular tool that admins feel comfortable working with.
ADUC is installed automatically on domain controllers, but you can also install it on any server or PC.
Closing the Gap Between AD, Entra ID, and Exchange Online
Even with Microsoft 365, Active Directory Users & Computers (ADUC) still plays a key role.
But admins are rarely thrilled about the grab-bag of tools needed to run a hybrid Microsoft 365 environment:
ADUC to manage AD users and groups
Exchange on-prem to touch AD mail attributes
Exchange Online admin to manage cloud mailboxes
Microsoft 365 Admin Center / Entra portal to handle licenses and roles
Exchange Online PowerShell for calendar permissions, automapping, etc.
Entra Connect (Azure AD Connect) PowerShell to trigger syncs
It’s an administrative headache that pushes everyday tasks to senior/third-level staff – work that should ideally be handled by first-level support.
That’s why many organizations are moving to tools that consolidate Microsoft 365 and Entra ID administration.
One such tool is EasyEntra. A single, clean pane of glass that brings everyday Microsoft 365 and Entra ID tasks together without PowerShell or Exchange on-prem.
In under a minute, you can install EasyEntra and give your helpdesk one place to:
Create, modify, and decommission users with consistent, guided workflows
Assign and right-size Microsoft 365 licenses
Manage mailboxes and common EXO tasks (incl. calendar permissions, automapping)
Manage AD and cloud groups from a single pane with copy-paste power
Kick off directory syncs when you need them – no scripts required
Less tool-hopping. Fewer escalations. Faster ticket resolution.
EasyEntra makes first-level support effective, and your Microsoft 365/Entra operations calm, predictable, and fast.
With EasyEntra, you gain access to configure all sorts of properties on your Microsoft 365 mailboxes.
You can even configure settings that normally require advanced PowerShell scripting, like calendar permissions, folder localization, and Outlook automapping of shared mailboxes:
Using Active Directory Standard Management Tools
Without EasyEntra, you are stuck with an array of heterogeneous admin tools.
As an example, have a look at email address configuration:
Email addresses are stored in the proxyAddresses attribute, which has very complex requirements. AD Users & Computers does not include any logic to safely manage proxyAddresses.
With the AD Users & Computers management tool, you can only do raw editing, which is very error-prone.
Microsoft’s only “intelligent” method to manage this attribute is the on-premises Exchange Server web console, which offers a very different experience relative to AD Users & Computers:
And to be honest, who wants to keep an on-premises Exchange Server around if you’re fully migrated to Microsoft 365?
With EasyEntra, you can safely edit proxyAddresses knowing that all syntax and uniqueness requirements are checked:
Your first-line support will save a lot of time by being able to perform all daily administration from a single intuitive console.
And getting started with EasyEntra couldn’t be simpler:
- It takes less than one minute to install and configure
- No infrastructure changes are required
- You continue working with personal credentials (no change in security)
- You continue to access your resources directly (no change in networking)
- The UI closely mimics ADUC (zero learning curve)
- EasyEntra can run in parallel with existing management tools
To try out EasyEntra, download the fully-functional 30-day trial.