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AWS Identity and Access Management vs Microsoft Identity Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
4.8
AWS IAM boosts productivity with automation, efficient access, scalability, and security, offering significant ROI despite some cost drawbacks.
Sentiment score
5.1
Microsoft Identity Manager improves security and efficiency, offering up to 20% time savings and simplifying training with standardization.
I believe AWS provides significant ROI by reducing infrastructure costs and improving scalability and business agility.
AWS Solutions Architect at TechBiz Global
AWS Identity and Access Management ensures security and allows for scalable application deployment.
AWS cloud operations manager at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
It saves time by not requiring extensive manual setup.
Full-stack Developer / AWS Architect at Mantiqh Technologies
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.7
AWS Identity and Access Management is intuitive; most users manage internally, avoiding paid tech support and using documentation.
Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Identity Manager's customer service is reliable, with thorough engagement but varying response speed and documentation quality. Ratings average 7-9/10.
Responses from AWS engineers aren't always direct, so when urgent issues occur, I manage them immediately and prioritize solutions.
AWS Solutions Architect at TechBiz Global
The service is straightforward, and I haven't encountered much complexity.
Senior Engineer AWS DevOps at Tiger Analytics
We haven't needed to contact technical support as the IAM tool is intuitive and configured on our end.
Full-stack Developer / AWS Architect at Mantiqh Technologies
I rate the technical support nine out of ten.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
It is important to get to the right engineer quickly, but the process sometimes involves multiple levels before reaching the best support.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
The technical support is of good quality
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.1
AWS IAM is scalable and integrates well but needs improved centralized permissions and auto-scaling for large organizations.
Sentiment score
6.8
Microsoft Identity Manager is ideal for enterprises, not small businesses, with scalability issues for many users; consider Azure AD.
Scalability in AWS is significantly easier compared to on-premise solutions.
Lead Admin Systems at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
I implemented centralized and scalable solutions to improve larger setups.
AWS Solutions Architect at TechBiz Global
The system's scalability could be enhanced to support larger organizations and better integrate with existing applications.
AWS Engineer at Unemployed
In terms of scalability, Microsoft Identity Manager allows management of up to 400,000 objects with a standard configuration.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
AWS Identity and Access Management is highly stable, securing networks effectively, with minor performance issues quickly resolved.
Sentiment score
7.6
Microsoft Identity Manager is highly stable and reliable, with users rating its performance between eight to nine out of ten.
It was initially tough to identify the cause, yet by simplifying user management and utilizing group roles, I have managed to solve these issues.
AWS Solutions Architect at TechBiz Global
AWS Identity and Access Management is designed to keep networks secure by ensuring only authorized users can access necessary data.
AWS Engineer at Unemployed
AWS Identity and Access Management is very stable.
AWS cloud operations manager at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Not all conditions can be satisfied at all times, leading to some employee or user accounts experiencing deviations and syncing issues.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
 

Room For Improvement

AWS IAM needs a user-friendly interface, better permissions, scalable integration, and improved tracking for enhanced security and efficiency.
Microsoft Identity Manager struggles with connectivity, integration, and support, needing better interfaces, documentation, and Azure Active Directory integration.
If AWS could provide an option to automatically create templates based on desired access requirements, it would be extremely beneficial, especially for documentation and troubleshooting purposes.
Lead Admin Systems at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
AWS Identity and Access Management needs improvement in the prevention of unauthorized access to sensitive data and models.
AWS Solutions Architect at TechBiz Global
The user activity tracking in AWS Identity and Access Management should be enhanced to provide detailed descriptions of user activities.
AWS cloud operations manager at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Very often customers require real-time or almost real-time updates, and this feature is missing in Microsoft Identity Manager.
System Engineer 2 at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
The current policy management features are limited, and custom, flexible policies would be ideal.
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
While the initial setup of Microsoft Identity Manager is not completely complex, migrating or upgrading to a new version can be complex and requires multiple backups to ensure it goes smoothly.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
 

Setup Cost

AWS IAM offers free access management, though cost comparisons with Azure can influence decision-making for some users.
Microsoft Identity Manager is cost-effective when bundled with premium licenses, despite mixed reviews on its pricing and value.
Initial setups do not require significant capital expenditures, making it advantageous for organizations to utilize AWS services.
AWS Solutions Architect at TechBiz Global
Azure is often chosen for cost-efficiency.
Senior Engineer AWS DevOps at Tiger Analytics
While it offers good value for money, a reduction in costs would be appreciated by any organization.
AWS cloud operations manager at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Microsoft's licenses are bundled, allowing access to multiple services, which is beneficial.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
The pricing of Microsoft Identity Manager is expensive.
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Identity Manager, it has a couple of cloud connectors that can sync directly with the O365 admin center, which is good enough.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
 

Valuable Features

AWS Identity and Access Management enhances security and efficiency with multifactor authentication, customizable policies, and streamlined role-based access control.
Microsoft Identity Manager enhances security with Single Sign-On and integrates seamlessly with Office 365 and Active Directory.
The solution enables differentiation in tasks, such as managing cross-account access, setting service roles, and integrating corporate directories for temporary AWS access.
AWS Solutions Architect at TechBiz Global
Its role-based access control enhances security by allowing me to assign specific permissions to users, which helps in managing access and maintaining cost control.
AWS cloud operations manager at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Specific permissions can be given to users, allowing tailored access to instances and S3 buckets.
AWS Engineer at Unemployed
The features of Microsoft Identity Manager that have been most impactful in improving security and compliance include the granular policies, report, and the ability to gain end-to-end visibility for each user.
CISO at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
These features have been impactful in improving our security and compliance.
Senior SOC Developer at XVE Security
The best features of Microsoft Identity Manager are its 100% compatibility with Active Directory.
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
 

Categories and Ranking

AWS Identity and Access Man...
Ranking in Identity Management (IM)
7th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
Cloud Resource Access Management (4th)
Microsoft Identity Manager
Ranking in Identity Management (IM)
11th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Identity Management (IM) category, the mindshare of AWS Identity and Access Management is 0.5%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Identity Manager is 2.3%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity Management (IM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
AWS Identity and Access Management0.5%
Microsoft Identity Manager2.3%
Other97.2%
Identity Management (IM)
 

Featured Reviews

SumitMundik - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Admin Systems at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
IAM improves cloud security management with hybrid network capabilities and global role access
In AWS Identity and Access Management solutions, CloudFormation tools are used to create templates. Having predefined templates available from the AWS team would be beneficial. Currently, security teams work on policies and scripts for creating generic AWS Identity and Access Management roles. If AWS could provide an option to automatically create templates based on desired access requirements, it would be extremely beneficial, especially for documentation and troubleshooting purposes. Storage gateway creation has limitations, allowing maximum of 50 SMB file shares per gateway. While it is costly to access S3 buckets via AWS Identity and Access Management role through storage gateway, companies invest in this for enhanced data security, particularly in financial sectors where data integrity is crucial. There is an ongoing issue where files are sometimes sent twice to S3 buckets, despite MoveIt logs showing single transmission. As a workaround, Lambda functions are implemented with a five-minute delay before processing files to downstream applications.
RameshKumar9 - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at IOM - UN Migration
Supports reliable identity management and custom policy design
Microsoft Identity Manager can be improved by integrating it with Entra ID as a SaaS application or by having a cloud-based connector, as it is currently limited to on-prem scenarios, and a combination of both would be a great solution compared to competitors such as SailPoint or One Identity Manager. While the initial setup of Microsoft Identity Manager is not completely complex, migrating or upgrading to a new version can be complex and requires multiple backups to ensure it goes smoothly.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise11
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with AWS Identity and Access Management?
In AWS Identity and Access Management solutions, CloudFormation tools are used to create templates. Having predefined templates available from the AWS team would be beneficial. Currently, security ...
What is your primary use case for AWS Identity and Access Management?
When attempting to access Windows UNC paths from MoveIt, it will request user ID and access. For instance, if ITS-MoveIt is the local user utilized during installation, that particular user should ...
What advice do you have for others considering AWS Identity and Access Management?
The AWS Identity and Access Management Access Analyzer is not utilized in our implementation. The policy simulator feature is also not being used. Information about the pricing aspect of AWS Identi...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Identity Manager?
Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Identity Manager, it has a couple of cloud connectors that can sync directly with the O365 admin center, which is good enough, but Entra I...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Identity Manager?
Microsoft Identity Manager can be improved by integrating it with Entra ID as a SaaS application or by having a cloud-based connector, as it is currently limited to on-prem scenarios, and a combina...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Identity Manager?
The typical use case for Microsoft Identity Manager is to automate Active Directory, where it is responsible for onboarding new employees to on-premises AD or to the cloud based on certain criteria.
 

Also Known As

No data available
MIM, Forefront Identity Manager, FIM, MS Identity Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

1. Amazon.com2. Adobe3. Accenture4. AT&T5. Bank of America6. Cisco Systems7. Coca-Cola8. Dell Technologies9. Equinix10. GE Healthcare11. Google12. Hewlett Packard Enterprise13. IBM14. Intel15. JPMorgan Chase16. Kroger17. LinkedIn18. Lockheed Martin19. Mastercard20. Microsoft21. Netflix22. Nike23. Oracle24. PayPal25. PwC26. SAP27. Siemens28. Spotify29. Tesla30. Toyota31. Visa32. Walmart33. World Bank
Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Whole Foods Market
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Identity and Access Management vs. Microsoft Identity Manager and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.