AD
Active Directory (AD) is Microsoft's on-premises directory service that stores information about users, computers, and other network resources, providing authentication and authorization services across Windows enterprise environments.
⚙️ How Does It Work?
AD uses Kerberos for authentication and LDAP for directory queries. Users log in once (domain login) and receive a Kerberos ticket granting access to all domain resources their account is authorized to use.
📍 Where Is It Used?
On-premises Windows enterprise environments worldwide — still the identity backbone for the majority of large enterprises despite cloud migration trends.
💡 Real-World Example
A company with 20,000 employees uses Active Directory as its central identity store. Every employee login to a Windows PC, file server, or domain-joined application is authenticated against AD. Microsoft Entra ID sync extends these identities to the cloud.
🔗 Related Terms
Stay Ahead in Identity Security
Get weekly IAM, PAM & IGA insights via Identity Pulse.
Subscribe to Identity Pulse →