Managing LDAP can be a daunting (and expensive) task for any IT admin, regardless of your experience or technical expertise. Is there a free cloud LDAP alternative you and your organization can take advantage of that doesn\u2019t have all of the drawbacks of running an open source LDAP server<\/a> yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we dive into a free cloud LDAP alternative<\/a>, let\u2019s explore some of the LDAP options on the market today. One of the most commonly known options is OpenLDAP\u2122<\/a>, an open source implementation of LDAP that\u2019s been a long-standing favorite of IT admins. While it is free to use, OpenLDAP is challenging to implement and manage without the proper technical knowhow. Additionally, as an on-prem instance, OpenLDAP requires physical hardware to run, which drives up costs for IT organizations. OpenLDAP isn\u2019t a \u201cfire and forget\u201d solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other LDAP options include 389 Directory Server<\/a> or Red Hat Directory Server<\/a>. Both of these solutions are free to use as well, although the process of leveraging them is similar to OpenLDAP. They are on-prem instances, and require hardware and the associated networking \/ security \/ high availability equipment, plus keen and on-going management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These types of free LDAP<\/a> options raise three major challenges for IT organizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If those challenges feel insurmountable by your organization, then you are likely seeking out an LDAP instance delivered \u2018as a service\u2019 available from the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n