Defining the Microsoft Active Directory Opportunity

User authentication

Problems With Microsoft Active Directory

After all these years, Microsoft AD is still a challenge to manage. More than half of respondents experience issues with the domain (57%) and with the domain controller (52%). Just under half (48%) have had domain object issues.

Microsoft AD Testing Challenges

IT organizations approach Microsoft AD with trepidation. Two-thirds (66%) report they are hesitant to make application changes because of Microsoft AD testing issues.

Top Active Directory Concerns

IT organizations don’t have a lot of Microsoft AD control. Accidental changes top the list at 75%, followed by corruption of the system at 67%.

State of Active Directory Recovery Tools

Most organizations (73%) use the native AD tools supplied by Microsoft. But 63% also make use of custom scripts and 45% use third-party tools.

Active Directory Recovery Tool Quality

When it comes to AD, the quality of the tools matters. Only 7% report having a good experience with these tools. A full 46% say they are time-consuming or lack capabilities.

Level of Confidence in AD Recovery Tools

Almost one-quarter of respondents have doubts about AD recovery: 23% admit they lack confidence in their AD recovery tools.

Confidence in AD Recovery Plan

Microsoft AD is often the weakest link in any recovery plan. Less than half of customers (41%) think they have a robust Microsoft AD recovery plan.

Microsoft Active Directory Testing

Almost half are relying on hope more than planning. Only 55% report testing their Microsoft AD recovery plan at least once a year.

Reasons for Not Testing

Microsoft AD requires a lot of expertise. A full 65% of those who don’t regularly test say it is too hard (65%) or they don’t have the resources (64%).

Cost of Microsoft AD Downtime

Microsoft AD downtime gets expensive in a hurry. While 39% don’t know, 21% place the cost at $50,000 to $100,000 an hour.

Rise of the Virtual Lab

Virtualization creates a services opportunity for the channel. A full 80% say that a virtual lab would make it a lot easier to test Microsoft AD.