{"id":6313,"date":"2023-06-06T09:39:35","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T13:39:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jumpcloud.com\/blog\/?p=6313"},"modified":"2024-08-15T17:58:15","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T21:58:15","slug":"google-identity-services-vs-active-directory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/google-identity-services-vs-active-directory","title":{"rendered":"Google Identity Services vs. Active Directory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Microsoft\u2019s Active Directory<\/a> (AD) was created over 20 years ago to secure and manage networks. It establishes an organization hierarchy of users and devices for Windows networks, centralizes administration, manages access control for users and services, and provides single-factor authentication for networks. This technology and the era of computing it was made for is very different from Google’s Identity Services — a modern method of managing cloud services and single sign-on<\/a> (SSO). Microsoft recognizes this shift and has moved steadily toward the cloud, and AD shops can’t avoid the identity transformation that\u2019s now underway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Identity Services<\/a> provides optionality to replace Microsoft\u2019s Active Directory or extends AD to utilize Google\u2019s Workspace productivity suite and other cloud services. It accommodates businesses of all sizes. Google recommends JumpCloud as the directory for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to manage users, unify device management, and secure access to every resource. Identity Services takes an interoperable approach versus proprietary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The battlefield has expanded beyond standalone AD, and it\u2019s not possible to make an informed comparison between AD and cloud-based directories without acknowledging this reality. This article tackles the dilemma many IT admins face: follow Microsoft\u2019s path, combining AD with cloud services, or look elsewhere. Google + JumpCloud offers a new route to modernize AD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n Securely connect to any resource using Google Workspace and JumpCloud. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Microsoft\u2019s AD Legacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unsurprisingly, there\u2019s a difference in architecture between these platforms. AD\u2019s top-level component is the forest, which can contain one or more domains. Domains are containers for resources and represent organizational boundaries such as east coast and west coast offices. Organizational units (OUs) are sub-containers within domains such as a sales department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domains have inherent trust and credentials can cross domains, but forests don\u2019t \u201ctrust\u201d other forests by default. This is a Windows-centric, on-premises model that doesn\u2019t interoperate with web services on its own, or protocols other than LDAP (without adding the NPS server role).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AD can be tightly controlled and customized, but mastering it and following the latest security recommendations<\/a> can be challenging, costly, and time-consuming. It\u2019s best for on-premises deployments that must meet very specific requirements for compliance or custom applications. Google, on the other hand, was built from the ground up for environments where identities are the perimeter and many devices access resources. That\u2019s distinct from Microsoft\u2019s classic client\/server approach to IT system management. Microsoft is ushering customers to the cloud in response, and is shifting toward a cloud-first approach to IT infrastructure management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft\u2019s Path to the Cloud<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft hasn\u2019t given up on AD users that are migrating to cloud infrastructures. To the contrary, Azure Active Directory (AAD) is the basis for an entirely new ecosystem of services that are heavily focused on enterprise use cases and offer Microsoft significant new monthly recurring revenue. IT teams can integrate AAD and AD to create hybrid configurations or migrate AD to cloud-only directory infrastructures. However, a patchwork of services, including Intune<\/a>, is required for endpoint management. Features that the AD ecosystem included are being gated off into its licensing tiers. Let\u2019s explore what that looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n