AWS Directory Service vs Idira Identity comparison

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

AWS Directory Service

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (19th)

Idira Identity

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Authentication Systems (8th), Identity Management (IM) (8th), Authorization Software (2nd), Enterprise Password Managers (10th), User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) (9th), Access Management (6th), Active Directory Management (6th), Cloud Resource Access Management (3rd), Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (8th)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Identity and Access Management solutions, they serve different purposes. AWS Directory Service is designed for Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) and holds a mindshare of 1.0%, down 1.3% compared to last year.
Idira Identity, on the other hand, focuses on Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM), holds 4.7% mindshare, up 4.0% since last year.

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
AWS Directory Service	1.0%
Microsoft Entra ID	16.3%
Google Cloud Identity	10.8%
Other	71.9%

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Idira Identity	4.7%
Okta Platform	14.3%
Auth0 Platform	11.4%
Other	69.6%

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)

Featured Reviews

Akram Zaki

IT Specialist at FlairsTech

Hybrid directory service has streamlined global server access and supported reliable daily operations

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.

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Radosław Szyszko

Security Consultant at Clico

Modern access controls have streamlined daily MFA use and support complex privileged workflows

The area that is missing much is about the reporting part. I would rate Idira Identity in general about eight. It has a good set of features compared to other identity security platforms. It's well-composed on different layers but requires platformization to go further to make it easier to use. You can do many things in it, but you need a lot of knowledge about dependencies of many things, so it requires time and big knowledge, and for the customer, it's a tough task now. It was very bad in the past. Now it's going better, and I expect that this platformization transition will help in succeeding more in the future.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"This is a managed directory service (by AWS) that offers a hands-free solution for our team as we are not required to hire or train people to manage Active Directory features and high availability backups, there is no security patching required on an operating system level or Active Directory malware attack, and we are able to easily integrate other AWS services."

"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."

"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."

"AWS has eliminated the downtime we waste when our on-premises resources go down."

"I would rate AWS Directory Service nine out of ten."

"We like the fact that it's got such great redundancy."

"AWS handles everything on the backend requiring minimal legwork from our team. We only require a dedicated database administrator while depending on Amazon for RDS."

"AWS Directory Service is secure."

More AWS Directory Service pros

"I had one machine that I could not use due to an invalid token. They resolved the problem immediately after I reported it, on the same day, within one hour. It is a very good experience."

"The features that I personally find most effective in terms of security stem from the fact that it is easy to integrate and also the adoption is faster."

"The user self-service program and the Office 365 provisioning service feature are the most valuable. It is a very easy and feature-rich solution that gives priority to the users and security."

"The most valuable feature of CyberArk Identity is the adaptive interface."

"The UI is very simplified, and the documentation of CyberArk Identity is very crisp and clear."

"The solution helps with auditing, and monitoring, and integrates with Splunk for log analysis. User activity logs are captured in CyberArk Identity and sent to external tools like Splunk for analysis and monitoring."

"As soon as it is implemented, it fundamentally changes how users access systems, providing immediate security benefits."

"CyberArk Identity is a mature product."

More Idira Identity pros

Cons

"Our only complaint is that you cannot integrate your Exchange server. Or, if you are planning to install an Exchange server on your Amazon EC2 instance, then you need to configure Active Directory on EC2 instance. We would like for this limitation to be lifted."

"Accessing the data needs improvement."

"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."

"Can be improved by including on-premises access for services through Identity Access Management."

"I'd like to see some additional features, similar to what Azure has."

"Some of the security protocols are difficult to understand."

"AWS could improve the number of regions. Azure has passed them. The ned more consistency, as far as the Northeast is concerned."

"AWS is really expensive. They provide an awesome service in general, but it's still expensive, very expensive."

More AWS Directory Service cons

"CyberArk Identity could improve by having the ability to better manage the network, such as Cisco. There seem to be some issues in this area."

"The tool has issues with the third-party SMS gateway. The solution has its own SMS gateway. Integration support is a challenge when we don’t use their SMS gateway. The tool also needs to improve its scalability."

"There is room for improvement in documentation. The documentation could be more specific about the changes needed to achieve specific goals."

"CyberArk Identity is kind of expensive."

"In terms of general user feedback, the more security you put in front of a user, the more they complain. So usability and the user experience are always a challenge. So there's always room for improvement."

"When you translate the page from one language to another, it can be a difficult process. The translation isn't always good, and it may have a completely different name. I've noticed this in the English to Spanish translation."

"Room for improvement for CyberArk Identity might be on the support side, as they constantly improve with new features and remove redundant ones, integrating multiple steps into a single one for easier use; however, this is not just CyberArk Identity, as many vendors start with basic troubleshooting services without recognizing that knowledgeable users often reach out after exhausting those options."

"I'm not sure what needs improvement. It is a good platform."

More Idira Identity cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay an annual subscription fee."

"AWS' pricing is fair, and costs can be cut if you look carefully at when you're using it."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"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."

"Their pricing is obviously a lot higher than many vendors in the marketplace but their service is also unmatched."

"It's not that affordable compared to Delinea or other products. They're less expensive and allow more customization. For the cost, it is expensive."

"The solution is cheap and I rate its pricing an eight out of ten."

"CyberArk Identity is an expensive solution."

"There could be some additional costs apart from the licensing costs of the solution when you want to develop connectors in CyberArk Identity."

"There is an initial license and then there is a subscription needed."

"The pricing of CyberArk Identity is competitive."

"In terms of pricing, BeyondTrust and CyberArk tend to be more expensive, with CyberArk receiving an eight out of ten, in this regard."

More Idira Identity pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) solutions are best for your needs.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Performing Arts

Government

Outsourcing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	10

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Directory Service?

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.

What needs improvement with AWS Directory Service?

What advice do you have for others considering AWS Directory Service?

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...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CyberArk Identity?

I am not certain about CyberArk Identity's exact pricing model. For comparison, Okta was around five dollars per user. CyberArk Identity offers good discounts to some clients, which influences thei...

What needs improvement with CyberArk Identity?

What is your primary use case for CyberArk Identity?

I'm working with on-premises solutions. Back in the time there were no other options. I use multi-factor authentication with Idira Identity. I sell it, I deploy it, so it's something that is really...

Microsoft Entra ID vs AWS Directory Service

Comparisons

Compared 17% of the time

Okta Platform vs AWS Directory Service

Compared 14% of the time

Google Cloud Identity vs AWS Directory Service

Compared 7% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs AWS Directory Service

Compared 6% of the time

Idira IGA vs AWS Directory Service

Compared 3% of the time

More AWS Directory Service Competitors

Okta Platform vs Idira Identity

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Idira Identity

Compared 4% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs Idira Identity

Compared 4% of the time

1Password Business vs Idira Identity

Compared 3% of the time

Auth0 Platform vs Idira Identity

Compared 3% of the time

More Idira Identity Competitors

Product Reports

AWS Directory Service

Download AWS Directory Service product report

Idira Identity

Download Idira Identity product report

Also Known As

AWS Managed Microsoft AD

Idaptive

Overview

AWS Directory Service offers a cloud-based infrastructure for managing secure access, allowing seamless integration with other services and reducing hardware costs. It enhances reliability and access management for enterprises.

AWS Directory Service is integrated with Amazon services such as EC2 and RDS, providing high availability, quick replication, and seamless disaster recovery. Its cloud-based nature eliminates the need for hardware management, delivering cost efficiency and robust secure access management. Users benefit from its role-based mechanisms, redundancy, scalability, and low downtime, addressing diverse access and management needs. Despite its strengths, difficulties with integration, automation, and user interface have been noted. The lack of single sign-on and multi-factor authentication, along with challenges in migration and configuration, highlight areas for improvement. Users also desire expanded regional coverage and better integration with CloudWatch.

What are the key features of AWS Directory Service?

Cloud Infrastructure: Provides a cloud-based directory eliminating the need for physical hardware.
Secure Access Management: Ensures managed access and hybrid operations across networks.
Integration with EC2 and RDS: Supports seamless integration with Amazon EC2 and RDS.
High Availability: Offers robust and reliable directory service with minimal downtime.
Role-Based Mechanisms: Allows precise control over permissions and access levels.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Cost Efficiency: Saves expenses related to hardware and its maintenance.
Scalability: Adapts to increasing company needs effortlessly.
Performance: Delivers consistent directory performance without disruptions.
Redundancy: Provides exceptional backup solutions to prevent data loss.

AWS Directory Service is predominantly leveraged in industries requiring secure data management and integration with Microsoft Active Directory. It's widely used for domain authentication and policy implementation in sectors such as banking, where centralized data processing and enhanced security layers are crucial. Its role in managing ACL permissions and IAM for special access is critical, especially in environments handling sensitive information.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

CyberArk Identity is a versatile identity management solution suitable for a wide range of enterprises. It is designed to enhance enterprise security and improve user experience. Its focus on security, compliance, and operational efficiency, combined with positive user feedback, makes it a strong contender in the identity management space.

CyberArk Identity offers a robust suite of features to manage user identities and access privileges. It focuses on securing access to resources across various environments, including cloud and on-premises applications. Its capabilities include single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), lifecycle management, and privileged access management. These features are engineered to streamline access control, enhance security, and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

Single Sign-On (SSO) simplifies user access by providing a single authentication point for multiple applications.
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds an extra layer of security by requiring additional verification methods.
Lifecycle Management automates user account provisioning and deprovisioning, aligning with HR processes and compliance requirements.
Privileged Access Management secures and monitors access to critical systems and data by privileged users.

According to our user interviews, CyberArk Identity is praised for its reliability and user-friendly interface. IT professionals highlight the ease of integration with existing systems, while business executives appreciate the visibility it provides into access and identity management across the organization. Users also commend the responsive customer support, which is crucial for enterprise-level solutions.

IT Professionals found that CyberArk Identity's focus on multi-layered security significantly reduced the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. With a centralized dashboard and automation features, you can streamline identity and access management tasks, saving time and reducing complexity. Finally, it helps meet various compliance requirements.

Idira by Palo Alto Networks

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers

MLB, Citi, Pfizer, SulAmerica, GE Capital, Shiseido

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)