Active Directory Tools

Active Directory Tools

Active Directory has become the de facto user database for a majority of companies all over the world.

Since Active Directory launched with Windows 2000, there has been little change except for the occasional schema updates.

The same can be said about the favorite Active Directory tool:

Active Directory Users & Computers is basically the same as it was more than two decades ago:

Active Directory tools developement 2000 - 2022.

Why change a winning recipe, right?

Enterprise Management Tools

To most companies, the standard Active Directory tool, AD Users & Computers, is perfect for daily administration:

  • The interface is very intuitive.
  • It supports granular delegation of permissions.
  • It supports most daily management tasks with little need for scripting or other tools.

Over time the lack of automation has created room for enterprise products like Quest ActiveRoles, ManageEngine ADManager, and more.

In large organizations with frequent on- and offboarding, it makes good sense to invest in more expensive products and train dedicated staff for these standard operations.

However, for the majority of companies, the standard Active Directory management tool, AD Users & Computers, does the job just fine.

At least until they migrate to Office 365…

Active Directory Tools vs. Office 365 Tools

With the introduction of Office 365, many mandatory additional tools have been introduced. This includes the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, the Exchange Online Admin Center, the Azure Portal, and numerous scripting APIs.

This has led to massive frustrations among IT admins:

  • Daily user and mailbox management is spread between multiple admin tools.
  • PowerShell scripting is needed for many tasks.
  • Attribute authority is spread between on-premises AD and Office 365.
  • Exchange on-premises is still needed for GUI administration of email attributes.
Frustrated IT Admin.

Apart from being very annoying, this also has a lot of costs associated:

  • Basic tasks take a longer time to complete.
  • Errors happen more frequently.
  • More training of IT staff is required.

Integrated AD and Office 365 Management Tool

Based on consistent feedback from clients to our consulting branch, we put together Easy365Manager to help clients alleviate their pain.

Easy365Manager is a snap-in to AD Users & Computers that allows admins to manage Office 365 licenses and mailboxes directly from AD Users & Computers.

Since Easy365Manager is integrated into the most well-known Active Directory tool in existence, there is practically no learning curve.

With Easy365Manager, your first-level support team can provision shared mailboxes, synchronize Azure AD Connect, and configure calendar delegation with just a few clicks:

Being just a snap-in to AD Users & Computers, the installation takes less than a minute, and you can install Easy365Manager to any PC or server running AD Users & Computers.

Also, there are no infrastructure changes needed.

If you want to empower your first-level supporters and make life easier for your senior admins, download the free 30-day trial of Easy365Manager here.