AWS Directory Service Reviews

AWS Directory Service is being used for my company. We have a bunch of servers, including staging, development, and production, all of which are inside AWS. Each server is associated with AWS Directory Service. We have AWS Consoles and WorkSpaces, but I'm talking about the servers in general. I host my servers and infrastructure in AWS in general, so think of me as a client.

I appreciate that AWS Directory Service has the ability to operate both fully on the cloud and as a hybrid installation. If I have my own domain server, I can connect it to the AWS organization. This way, I can manage everything from my local Active Directory and it will still replicate in AWS. If I need to assign access to servers, do modifications, maintenance, or anything, it's pretty much from my own Active Directory server. There are also features including its compatibility with Microsoft AD and Azure Active Directory. If I need to do a migration from Azure into AWS or from AWS to Azure, it's fully compatible. It's also easy to integrate with all AWS services, including EC2, RDS SQL server, and WorkSpaces.

What we appreciate most about AWS Directory Service is the high availability. The services do not go down very often, if at all. I don't even recall it happening once or twice in a year that a service is down. When there is a service down, it's fixed pretty much instantaneously. Their support services are quite good and it's a reliable solution. In my work, if there is a server down for an hour, it would be a catastrophe. This does not happen with AWS, and that's why we are sticking with it. The speed is also impressive. When we do something on my own Active Directory server, it replicates very quickly in the AWS environment. There is not a huge gap in the replication time, which is the most handy feature of all.

Some features in AWS Directory Service are not automated and are not scriptable, so they require manual work. In today's world where everything is pretty much automated and scriptable using AI, this is a downside. The price is another concern. AWS is really expensive. They provide an awesome service in general, but it's still expensive, very expensive. AD Connector is an application which connects my own Active Directory to AWS Directory Service or AWS infrastructure. There is a bit of latency which is bound by the AD Connector availability. If the AD Connector is having issues, there is a bit of latency, but in general, it's way better than Microsoft Azure. Still, it could be better.

The migration was a bit challenging and required intensive planning and migration time. That is always a hassle. No matter which cloud environment you're moving into, the migration is sensitive because you're generally moving from on-premise to a cloud environment, so there is downtime and there are unexpected issues and errors. It needs very careful planning before doing the migration itself. AWS Directory Service is lacking a few things which could be better. Single sign-on federation is missing. SCIM provisioning is not available. In my company, we use other services for SSO federation, SCIM provisioning, and authentication because of these gaps.

I would like AWS Directory Service to enroll a multi-factor authentication method. I would like to have an SSO federation where users, if we're hosting applications in AWS, would not need to log in to each application. Single sign-on would log in the user to their account and from there they can open all their applications without requiring a login each time.

One of the other cons in AWS is that directories cannot span multiple regions because it's a region-bound architecture. This requires several directories for multi-region deployment. This is the case on my end because my company has several branches all over the world, so it requires several deployments.

Directories cannot span multiple regions because of the region-bound architecture. This requires several directories for multi-region deployment. My company has several branches all over the world, so this requires several deployments.

AWS Directory Service is pretty scalable. I would give it an eight because they could do better with the scalability.

I only contact support if there is a catastrophe, such as if I removed an account and would need to restore it for whatever reason, or if it was deleted by mistake. I would need to contact support to have them restore it.

I would give them a solid ten. They are quite quick with fixing issues. We rarely have to use them, but in the cases we used them, they were a solid ten. They give attention, they provide a quick and permanent solution, so they are good at what they do.

Positive

Return on investment really depends on the business itself. If the business is thriving, it can collect in like a year what was spent. The daily usage is tolerable. All in all, it's still one of the most expensive cloud solutions in the world. If they could price down a little bit, we would be happy or they would get more clientele.

I used Azure Active Directory but not for too long. We could probably do a review. I would just need to freshen up on it. My other option was Microsoft Azure.

I would like AWS Directory Service to enroll a multi-factor authentication method. I would like to have an SSO federation where users, if we're hosting applications in AWS, would not need to log in to each application. Single sign-on would log in the user to their account and from there they can open all their applications without requiring a login each time. I'm thinking somewhere between eight and seven. The SSO federation and SCIM provisioning is really something they ought to do. The price is one more concern. AWS Directory Service being a region-bound architecture is also a downside. I give them a seven as my overall rating. My review rating for this product is nine.

We use AWS Directory Services for multiple customers, specifically for AWS EC2 Windows machine authentication and domain join computers. We also use it for AWS Directory Access Manager integration.

The AD Connector is very good and easy to implement. We can easily use and configure it, and it is very useful. Integration capabilities are also very easy with a graphic-based interface, allowing easy integration by on-premises as well.

Currently, there is no option to integrate our on-premises Cisco AWS Directory Service, requiring some manual configuration. If AWS Active Directory Service provided additional domain controller functionalities, like other on-premises Active Directory, it would be very helpful. 

Another improvement would be adding features to integrate our Exchange Service with AWS Directory Services, as it's currently not supported.

I have been working with AWS Directory Service for more than eight to ten years.

AWS is highly available, and we can use it in multiple availability zones. On a scale from one to ten, I would rate stability at eight due to some limitations.

I am not sure about the scalability, however, as this is a managed service, there is no issue with scalability.

I have never contacted AWS technical support regarding the Active Directory side, but overall, AWS technical support is very good. They always support us and can provide live support.

Positive

The initial setup is very simple and easy.

We have experience and expertise in this area, with certifications that allow us to handle this in-house. We currently provide MSP solutions and data migration solutions to different companies.

The pricing is very good because it is low and there is no management cost. You do not need to hire any system administrator to manage your Active Directory.

Azure Directory is a competitor, as it provides good Directory services through Microsoft.

I would always recommend using AWS Managed Directory rather than self-managed Directories.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Generally, the primary use case is for our users and people in our company to access the cloud infrastructure. We're managing the ACL permissions through directory services and providing the credentials to the users so they can log into the VMs or in cloud infrastructure using that directory services. It's also for the MFA enabled, to secure the access connection from users who are able to log into the servers.

It's on cloud infrastructure. In its current role, we are using it as Azure infrastructure. Previously, I worked on AWS infrastructure and did my certification based on AWS and Azure Solutions Architect.

Directory Services basically manages all of our business network connections as the central point of authority. It ensures that all IT resources are connected to the right users. Let's suppose that an employee is terminated or somebody leaves the company. A directory service automatically turns off all access to every resource or device in that individual's library.

The most valuable feature is that because it's all in the cloud, you don't need to manage the infrastructure. You don't need to install the hardware cost. The primary benefit with implementing the AWS Directory Service is that the organization can now extend AD identity and management capabilities to AWS resources. Without the AWS Directory Services, both AD and Active Directory and AWS would have to be managed separately.

The main function of Active Directory is that it runs in the cloud. It's run on virtual Windows servers. The main function is to enable administrators to manage permissions and control access to our network resources. There are a lot of things that could be improved: services like the schema master, domain naming master, PDC emulator infrastructure masters. These are the things that we can manage and make changes to so that they work more efficiently.

Something I would like to see added is a main domain controller that you can use and implement for managers for access users and PC servers on the network.

I have worked with AWS Directory Service for more than three and a half years in my previous work.

We had a problem with the schema uploading and setting up the directory when we are migrating our users from on-premises to cloud infrastructure. But then we opened a case and involved the AWS support team. That really helped with the issues that we are facing, and that was fixed. It was a challenge for us.

That's the beauty of AWS infrastructure because when you run on AWS cloud infrastructure, you just keep an eye on the maintenance, like updating the Windows server's patching and adding the users and managing their permission as administrator.

This is on the Windows servers. With Windows servers, we can use the load balancer, which is going to be a scale up and scale high. AWS Directory Service provides enough storage capacity, approximately 30,000 directory objects. "Objects" refers to users, groups, and computers. They have a different edition. AWS Managed Microsoft AD enterprise edition is designed to support organizations with up to 500,000 directory objects. It's a lot of capacity.

We do have a global infrastructure with approximately 700-800 people using that infrastructure. We also set it up with the AD connector. It simply connects our existing infrastructure, on-premise infrastructure, to AWS.

We can definitely increase usage in the future. As I mentioned, the normal one can support up to 30,000 directory objects, which is a lot. We are creating users, groups, and computers. It's all together. With 700 users, 300 groups, and approximately 700-800 computers, that's all together around 2,000-3,000, but we still have enough space.

Tech support is pretty good and they're helpful. They will contact you through email or phone. They're available 24/7.

Everything was previously on-premises, including hardware maintenance and cooling system power. We needed to upgrade the hardware, the end of life of the hardware, so that's why we switched from on-premises to low capacity to AWS Directory Services.

AWS Directory Service has a control navigation plan. From there, as per our requirement, we can choose the directories and then choose to set up the directory. Then it's just a simple, straightforward process. From the one I created in the past, I followed the AWS documentation, and they have a very decent and straightforward documentation to build the AWS Directory Services.

In my previous company, where I set up the AWS Directory Services, we had three or four people that worked on the project. I was part of that project. We were basically migrating our on-premises directory service to our cloud infrastructure directory services. It took us around three to four weeks to establish that whole infrastructure.

The pricing depends because with AWS there are two types of directory objects: 30,000 and 500,000. It varies. AWS provides the pricing calculators so we can get an estimate from there as per the company requirement of how many users and objects that we need to create. So we can go to that portal, put in the data, and get the quotation.

There are no extra licensing fees. It's all included.

I would rate this solution 9 out of 10. I have no complaints with the product. It's pretty predefined and user-friendly.

AWS is very helpful and very useful for the infrastructure because that's how you can manage your Microsoft Office 365 user accounts with AWS-managed Microsoft Active Directory Services. That is the secure way for users to log in. As a big organization, it is very important to keep the Directory Services in the cloud and manage the Directory Services for the whole infrastructure.

The solution integrates well with other tools, particularly through single sign-on, allowing users to connect to various applications using just one password, including email.

I've encountered challenges, particularly with Amazon WorkDocs, which is being deprecated. This has made it necessary to find an alternative document management solution that can handle editing, sharing, and workflow management for documents like Word files and PDFs.

We had issues with configuration and migration. 

I've been working with AWS Directory Service as part of a broader solution for moving our infrastructure to a hybrid cloud model. Initially, the goal was to replicate our on-premises server to the cloud and then eventually shut down the on-premises server entirely.

My work with AWS Directory Service is focused on migrating to the cloud and finding a suitable document management system that allows for online editing, document sharing, and workflow management.

I rate it an eight out of ten. 

We primarily use the solution for accessing purposes for our Lambda and when we want to use services internally or across accounts. So we use Identity and Access Management (IAM) to provide that special access.

We find the access management system valuable. It provides access to our needs, and we don't need to give any extra access to our employees because everyone doesn't need access. So we can provide specific access to people based on what they need from our accounts.

The solution can be improved by including on-premises access for services through IAM.

We have been using this solution for more than four years.

The solution is stable. I rate it a nine out of ten.

The solution is scalable, and we can scale according to our needs. I rate the scalability a nine out of ten. In our organization, our access to our AWS comes from IAM. We use AWS consoles using our credentials and don't have route access, so each person will log in through our IAM programmatic access, and everyone on our team can work on cloud. Over 10,000 people in our organization utilize the solution.

We have not had experience with customer service and support.

The setup is very user-friendly and straightforward. It is understandable for everyone, and a beginner can easily understand and come up with that particular process. It takes less than five minutes to set up the solution for specific users and groups on cloud. I rate the initial setup process a ten out of ten.

The solution is priced reasonably.

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. The solution is good but can be improved by including on-premises access for services through IAM

AWS Directory Service is very useful. It is a role-based mechanism, similar to identity management. It is one of the most useful AWS features.

AWS Directory Service is secure.

The AWS Directory Service should be easier to integrate.

I have been working with AWS Directory Service for two years.

AWS Directory Service is a stable solution.

AWS Directory Service is scalable. 

We have only two people who are using this solution.

We have plans to increase our usage.

We have not contacted technical support.

When we started the inter-platform migration, we also migrated the identity management from Amazon AWS to Microsoft Azure.

The initial setup can be simple. 

Most of our Active Directories, as well as previous engagements, have been straightforward with other Active Directories, but some of the directories are not directly straightforward when we bring this to AWS. 

It is straightforward if we use AWS identity services. However, it is somewhat critical in the case of migration.

It took one week to complete the installation.

We have a core team of four who maintain and support this solution. 

We had a consultant assist us in the installation.

We pay an annual subscription fee.

I would rate AWS Directory Service an eight out of ten.

I use this solution to create servers to host our application.

AWS has eliminated the downtime we waste when our on-premises resources go down. It also means we can work remotely and that if there's an issue, it can be resolved without going into the office or data center.

The most valuable feature is disaster recovery.

An area for improvement would be that in order to get CloudWatch to monitor your memory and storage, you have to do some configuration within your server, which sometimes results in errors. Another improvement would be to make it easier to migrate from one instance to a larger one.

I've been using this solution for three years.

I would say AWS is 99.99% stable and well-performing, as long as you know what you're doing with it.

In general, AWS' scalability is good, but if you want to move your instances from M5 large to M5 Xlarge, it's not so straightforward.

I think AWS' technical support is top-notch.

The initial setup was straightforward, taking around a day, with the exception of the DB, where we lost some of the data.

AWS' pricing is fair, and costs can be cut if you look carefully at when you're using it. They accept upfront and non-upfront payments, with upfront payments being lower. However, it can be a little difficult to figure out pricing if you're working with an exchange rate.

AWS is cost-friendly, support-friendly, and its system is 99.99% reliable. I would give this solution a score of ten out of ten.

The most valuable feature of AWS Directory Service is cost-cutting features. 

AWS Directory Service needs to improve processing. 

I have been using the solution since 2021. 

The solution is very stable. 

My company has 17 users. 

The tech team responds immediately once we reach out to them. 

Positive

AWS Directory Service's deployment is very easy. 

I rate AWS Directory Service a ten out of ten. 

Our company uses the solution as a security layer for adding users to the AWS and managing user permissions. We currently have 1,000 users but are increasing usage every day. 

Two-step authentication is very useful and important. 

The availability rates are high at 99.99% because there are two concurrent data centers that protect against failures. 

I would like to grant partial access to a table contained in a database without having to provide full access to the whole database. 

I have been using the solution for two years. 

The solution is stable and has a 99.99% availability rate across two concurrent data centers. 

The solution is scalable. 

Technical support is very knowledgeable and responds very quickly. 

I rate support a ten out of ten. 

Positive

Our company had the solution in place when I joined the team. I have not used other tools. 

The setup is quite easy because the documentation provided includes step-by-step instructions. If you understand the documentation, then you will have no setup or deployment issues. 

I rate setup an eight out of ten. 

We implemented the solution in-house. 

I am fully satisfied with the solution so I rate it a ten out of ten.