Microsoft Active Directory vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access comparison

Microsoft and Thales are both solutions in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category. Microsoft is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.5, while Thales is ranked #21. Microsoft holds a 3.2% mindshare in SSO, compared to Thales’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Thales users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Active Directory

Read 47 Microsoft Active Directory reviews

1,563 Views
1,047 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Read 3 Thales SafeNet Trusted Access reviews

762 Views
411 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Active Directory

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access and Microsoft Active Directory are two prominent identity and access management solutions. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access is noted for its support and pricing, whereas Microsoft Active Directory is favored for its comprehensive integration and extensive feature set.

Features: Thales SafeNet Trusted Access is praised for its robust security features, including multi-factor authentication, detailed logging capabilities, and advanced security measures. Microsoft Active Directory is valued for its seamless integration with other Microsoft products, extensive policy management features, and comprehensive user directory.

Room for Improvement: Thales SafeNet Trusted Access could enhance its user experience, reporting tools, and usability refinements. Microsoft Active Directory needs better cross-platform support, more intuitive management tools, and improvements in platform compatibility.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Thales SafeNet Trusted Access is noted for its straightforward deployment process and responsive support team. Microsoft Active Directory's deployment is complex due to its extensive feature set but offers comprehensive documentation and thorough integration support.

Pricing and ROI: Thales SafeNet Trusted Access offers competitive pricing and a positive ROI. Microsoft Active Directory, though more costly, is considered worth the investment due to its extensive capabilities and long-term benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Active Directory vs. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Active Directory vs. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

September 2025

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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

Microsoft Active Directory

Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)

8th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Active Directory Management (5th)

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)

21st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (25th), Access Management (22nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 3.2%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Thales SafeNet Trusted Access is 1.3%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Single Sign-On (SSO) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Active Directory	3.2%
Thales SafeNet Trusted Access	1.3%
Other	95.5%

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Featured Reviews

Giovanni Baruzzi

Owner at Syntlogo GmbH

Mature technology delivers consistent capability and enhances centralized user management

I think Microsoft Active Directory could be more intuitive. My impression of the integration of Microsoft Active Directory with third-party applications is that it can be made better. It's not the tendency of Microsoft to use a standard, but to modify it to their needs. This is catastrophic if you have to integrate other applications that use the same standard. This creates a major problem, so you have to be very careful and implement step by step, knowing that the partner is Microsoft. I would leave Microsoft Active Directory as it is and build possibly interfaces. For example, there is a provisioning protocol standard named SCIM. It seems that Microsoft Active Directory does not yet have a SCIM interface, which is a problem.

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GauravMathur

Vice President Information Technology at Mind

Simple to use, easy to set up, and performs well

I'm not saying that we want to switch the product, however, since the requirement has increased, we are looking at other options that may be better suited. The scalability may not there. We have a few specific use cases where we have to avoid the cloud. Especially in Europe, we're not allowed to carry their phone in factories. We need some sort of secure access solution. There's a dependency on Microsoft Azure. I am paying to SafeNet and in parallel, I also need to pay Microsoft to use the same service. That makes no sense, to pay double. If they could do something about it, that would be very good.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Active Directory is the ability to search for computers and users. While I do not have administrative privileges to reset passwords, I can view user information such as department, and communicate with someone who can make the changes."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is an easy-to-use tool."

"It's quite easy to integrate into other directories."

"The ability for a single sign-on for applications."

"The most valuable features of Microsoft Active Directory are the management of user and group policies."

"One advantage of Active Directory is that you can sync it with Microsoft Office 365, so you can manage on-premise and cloud operations, which can have different requirements. The flexibility of a hybrid management solution is valuable."

"Active Directory makes managing user policies easier, like when a user wants to share files. We also use it to create and manage our email accounts."

"I've been working with Microsoft Active Directory for over 3 years, and we've had no problems."

More Microsoft Active Directory pros

"The interface is easy to use."

"The validation and integrity features of the endpoint are great."

"The solution is simple to use."

Cons

"Perhaps the synchronization could be simpler and more controllable. There are some features that need improvements in terms of ease of use and frequency of updates."

"Even better group management would be beneficial."

"It could be more scalable. We still need another software solution to monitor the network in addition to Active Directory and OpManager, our domain controller. We use SolarWinds."

"They should improve the solution's old computer cleanup tool."

"The interface hasn't changed much over the years. It's suitable for my tastes, but that doesn't mean everybody likes it."

"I would like to see more integration with cloud-based applications. This would make it easier to manage users and devices across multiple platforms."

"There is room for improvement in the support."

"The solution could be made more safe by using authentication mechanisms."

More Microsoft Active Directory cons

"Lacks the ability to integrate network monitoring solutions and authenticate the app users."

"There's a dependency on Microsoft Azure."

"SafeNet's reporting and monitoring features could be improved."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is based on a licensing model."

"The product's premium support services are expensive."

"The license is perpetual and the cost is minimal. If you purchase Microsoft Windows then Microsoft Active Directory comes with the package."

"Active Directory is built-in into Microsoft Windows 10. I'm not an administrator and would not be involved in purchasing decisions for new versions of the software. I have only used the client portion of it, I do not know if there is a cost to using the solution."

"We purchase the license for the solution on a yearly basis."

"Active Directory is an expensive solution, primarily due to Microsoft's licensing model. This licensing approach includes paying for server licenses as well as for each computer that connects to it. However, when working with the Azure cloud, there is no cost for the server. This is profitable and one of the main reasons why Azure Cloud and other cloud-based solutions are being used more."

"Its price is reasonable."

"It's not overly expensive. It's considered a base function by Microsoft."

More Microsoft Active Directory pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Healthcare Company

Government

11%

Performing Arts

10%

Manufacturing Company

Legal Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	20

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Active Directory?

The solution is easy to install and has good reliability.

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What needs improvement with Microsoft Active Directory?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Active Directory?

My usual use case for Microsoft Active Directory is to share groups of authorization among many different applications. The other use case for Microsoft Active Directory is the authentication of us...

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Comparisons

Ping Identity Platform vs Microsoft Active Directory

Compared 23% of the time

ManageEngine ADManager Plus vs Microsoft Active Directory

Compared 19% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Microsoft Active Directory

Compared 15% of the time

CyberArk Identity vs Microsoft Active Directory

Compared 9% of the time

JumpCloud vs Microsoft Active Directory

Compared 8% of the time

More Microsoft Active Directory Competitors

Microsoft Entra ID vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 24% of the time

CyberArk Identity vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 23% of the time

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 18% of the time

Auth0 vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 14% of the time

Okta Workforce Identity vs Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

Compared 10% of the time

More Thales SafeNet Trusted Access Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Active Directory

September 2025

Download Microsoft Active Directory product report

Buyer's Guide

Single Sign-On (SSO)

September 2025

Download Thales SafeNet Trusted Access product report

Also Known As

No data available

SafeNet Trusted Access, Gemalto SafeNet Trusted Access

Overview

Active Directory stores information about objects on the network and makes this information easy for administrators and users to find and use. Active Directory uses a structured data store as the basis for a logical, hierarchical organization of directory information.

This data store, also known as the directory, contains information about Active Directory objects. These objects typically include shared resources such as servers, volumes, printers, and the network user and computer accounts.

Security is integrated with Active Directory through logon authentication and access control to objects in the directory. With a single network logon, administrators can manage directory data and organization throughout their network, and authorized network users can access resources anywhere on the network. Policy-based administration eases the management of even the most complex network.

Microsoft

Thales SafeNet Trusted Access is a comprehensive access management solution that provides secure and seamless access to cloud and web applications. It offers a range of features, including multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, and adaptive authentication. With SafeNet, organizations can easily manage user access, enforce security policies, and monitor user activity to prevent cyber threats.

The solution is highly scalable and can be customized to meet the unique needs of any organization. Overall, SafeNet is a reliable and effective solution for preventing cyber threats and ensuring secure access to critical applications and data.

Thales

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

IBM, Western Union, Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, Novartis, and AT&T.

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Active Directory vs. Thales SafeNet Trusted Access

September 2025

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