Overview

Deploy Active Roles from AWS Marketplace
Active Roles allows you to manage and protect user and group accounts using automated task provisioning on directory objects, going above and beyond what is offered by native tools. Active Roles provides automation for consistent enforcement of corporate policies, an administrative model that allows you to delegate permissions based on role, and flexible, rule-based views across your entire AD identity environment via a consolidated single console. These features and more create a reliable and secure environment for distributed administration and account provisioning, allowing you to do your job faster.
Highlights
- Delegate least-privilege permissions based on role to ensure all identities and groups have proper privileges
- Consolidate all AD domains with Entra ID and M365 tenants onto a single console, ensuring better visibility and control over your entire AD/Entra ID/M365 environment
- Use automation to ensure accuracy and consistency of policy creation and enforcement and track changes to support your auditing and compliance reporting needs
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Delivery details
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Additional details
Usage instructions
To access the application launch a new EC2 instance from this AMI and connect to it via RDP.
For more information, see the Active Roles Quick Start Guide: https://support.oneidentity.com/technical-documents/active-roles/8.1.5/quick-start-guide
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Once contacted Sales, follow the steps in the link below under the section 'Installing and configuring Active Roles on the EC2 instance':
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AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.
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Customer reviews
Automated workflows have transformed daily access control and now improve compliance
What is our primary use case?
One Identity Active Roles serves as the primary tool in our organization to streamline and secure Active Directory management by automating administrative tasks, enforcing governance policies, and reducing the risk of human error. It helps us delegate access control efficiently through role-based administration, ensuring that the right users have the appropriate permissions without granting excessive privilege. Additionally, it enhances compliance by providing detailed auditing, reporting, and approval workflows for changes made within the directory, which is especially important for maintaining security standards and regulatory requirements. Overall, it improves operational efficiency, strengthens our security posture, and simplifies identity and access management across the organization.
A practical example from our daily use of One Identity Active Roles is our automated user provisioning process, where it is configured with policies and workflows that trigger as soon as a new employee is added to our HR systems or Active Directory. The system automatically assigns the correct group membership, email access, and permissions based on their roles and department, while also enforcing naming conventions and security rules simultaneously. Privileged access requests, such as adding a user to admin groups, go through an approval workflow that requires managerial authorization and is fully logged for auditing. This approach not only saves significant manual effort for the IT team but also ensures strict governance, consistency, and compliance without relying on individual administrators to remember every policy.
Our main day-to-day use of One Identity Active Roles revolves around simplifying and controlling Active Directory operations through delegated administration and policy-based management. We allow helpdesks or junior IT staff to handle routine tasks such as user creation, password resets, and group modifications without giving them full domain access, ensuring security is never compromised. Simultaneously, we rely heavily on its built-in workflows and approval mechanisms for sensitive changes, such as privilege escalation or access to critical systems, which ensures every action follows a defined governance process and is properly audited. Its automation capabilities help maintain consistency in user attributes, enforce compliance policies, and reduce manual errors, making it an essential tool that keeps our identity management efficient, secure, and aligned with organizational standards on a daily basis.
The workflow automation and auditing features of One Identity Active Roles have made a clear impact in our daily work, especially in handling access requests and compliance tracking. When a user needs elevated privileges, the request automatically goes through a predefined approval workflow instead of relying on manual emails, ensuring proper authorization before any changes are made and every action is logged with full details. This becomes extremely useful during audits or troubleshooting because we can quickly track who made what changes and when, reducing investigation time and improving accountability. This approach also removes the dependency on manual follow-ups and minimizes the risk of unauthorized access.
What is most valuable?
One of the best features of One Identity Active Roles is its strong combination of automation, security, and centralized control, which makes Active Directory management much more efficient and governed. A standout feature is workflow automation, where repetitive tasks such as user provisioning, deprovisioning, and access changes are handled automatically based on predefined rules, saving time and reducing manual errors significantly. Another key feature is role-based delegation, which allows organizations to grant limited control access to helpdesks or junior staff without exposing critical admin privileges, ensuring a least privilege security model. One Identity Active Roles also offers policy-based management where rules enforce naming conventions, mandatory attributes, and compliance standards during any Active Directory changes, maintaining consistency across the environment. Additionally, features such as dynamic groups, memberships, and temporal access automatically add or remove users from groups based on coordination or time, which is very useful for managing temporary or role-based access. Finally, its auditing and reporting capabilities provide full visibility into who made what changes and when, helping with compliance, troubleshooting, and security monitoring. Overall, these features together make One Identity Active Roles a powerful tool for improving efficiency, strengthening governance, and securely managing identity and access management operations.
What needs improvement?
One area where One Identity Active Roles can be improved is in simplifying its initial setup and configuration process, as deployment can be complex and time-consuming for a new user or organization without deep Active Directory expertise, which can slow down adoption and require additional training or support. Additionally, improving the user interface to make it more intuitive and user-friendly would enhance the overall experience for administration, especially for those who are not highly technical. There is also scope to enhance performance in certain scenarios such as reporting over slower networks. Expanding flexibility in customization and integrations could further strengthen its usability in modern hybrid and cloud environments, making it even more efficient and easier to manage at scale.
One improvement I would particularly highlight for One Identity Active Roles is the need for seamless integration with modern cloud platforms and hybrid environments. Many organizations now operate beyond traditional on-premises Active Directory, and having more out-of-the-box connection connectors and easier configuration for tools such as Azure or other SaaS applications would save time and effort. Making reporting and dashboards more customizable and intuitive would help administration quickly derive insights without relying on external tools. Improving documentation and in-product guidance could also make troubleshooting and advanced configuration much easier, especially for new users who are still becoming familiar with the platform.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using One Identity Active Roles for the last two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
One Identity Active Roles is generally considered a stable and reliable solution in most enterprise environments, as many users rate its stability quite high, often between seven to ten out of ten. They highlight that it performs consistently well for automation, delegation, and auditing tasks.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
One Identity Active Roles is highly scalable and can easily support large enterprise environments with thousands to even hundreds of thousands of users across multiple domains. It grows well with our organization's needs without major performance issues, making it suitable for both mid-sized and large companies.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support for One Identity Active Roles is generally good, as most users report that the support team is responsive, technically knowledgeable, and ready to assist whenever tickets are raised, often providing clear and practical solutions to issues. Although in some cases there are slight delays or slower responses for more complex problems, the overall support experience is positive and reliable, though there is room for improvement in response time for critical or advanced issues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before adopting One Identity Active Roles, we were primarily relying on native Microsoft Active Directory tools and manual PowerShell scripts for user and access management. We switched because those methods lacked centralized governance, automation, and proper auditing capabilities, which made the process time-consuming and prone to errors. As our environment grew, managing permissions and ensuring compliance became increasingly complex, so moving to One Identity Active Roles helped us streamline operations with automation, enforce consistent policies, and gain better visibility and control over all directory-related activities.
How was the initial setup?
Integrating One Identity Active Roles with our existing IT infrastructure and Active Directory is moderately straightforward but not entirely simple. It fits well within our traditional Active Directory environment and connects effectively with directory services. However, the initial setup, configuration of policies, and aligning it with existing workflows require careful planning and some expertise, especially when customizing roles and permissions. While basic integration is smooth, more advanced setups such as hybrid environments or additional system integrations can add complexity. Overall, it is manageable but does require a certain level of technical understanding to fully optimize its capabilities.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a clear return on investment with One Identity Active Roles, as it has reduced manual administration effort by approximately fifty to sixty percent, which directly translates into time savings for the IT team. In some cases, tasks that earlier took fifteen to twenty minutes, such as user provisioning or access changes, are now completed in just a few minutes through automation, while also reducing errors significantly, which avoids network and potential security risks. Overall, it has allowed us to handle the same workload with fewer resources or relocate team members to more strategic tasks, ultimately improving our productivity and delivering strong value compared to the investment made.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for One Identity Active Roles has been generally positive, though with a few considerations as the solution follows a subscription-based licensing model, typically calculated based on the number of managed users and required features, which makes it scalable but can become relatively expensive for larger organizations and environments. The initial setup and procurement process was smooth with good vendor support, but the overall cost is on the higher side compared to basic tools, though it is justified by the value it delivers in automation, governance, and time savings. In our case, we found that the return on investment was strong because it significantly reduced manual efforts and administrative workload, making the pricing work despite the higher upfront and licensing costs.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before selecting One Identity Active Roles, we evaluated a few other identity and Active Directory management solutions such as Microsoft Entra ID , Okta, and ManageEngine ADManager Plus , as they are commonly considered strong alternatives in the identity and access management space with capabilities such as automation, access control, and governance. While each had its strengths, especially in cloud integration or ease of use, we ultimately chose One Identity Active Roles because it offered more granular control, deeper Active Directory management, and stronger policy-based governance tailored to our on-premises and hybrid environment needs.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anyone considering One Identity Active Roles would be to invest time in proper planning and initial setup, especially around role design, delegation models, and policy configuration, because the real value of the tool comes from how well these are structured from the beginning. Also, ensure your team has a good understanding of Active Directory. I would rate this product a nine out of ten overall.
Automation has transformed user lifecycle tasks and delegation now improves daily security control
What is our primary use case?
I have been working in the cybersecurity field for about one year using One Identity Active Roles .
One Identity Active Roles is used for Active Directory management and user lifecycle management, including tasks such as user provisioning, group management, and enforcing access policies in a controlled and automated way.
When a new employee joins, I use One Identity Active Roles to create the user account with predefined templates and automatically assign the required groups and permissions, ensuring consistency and saving time. Similarly, when someone leaves, I can quickly disable the account and remove access.
Password resets and access requests represent another scenario related to our main use case, where Active Directory allows us to delegate tasks securely to help desk teams without giving full admin rights, reducing the workload on admins and ensuring proper control and auditing.
How has it helped my organization?
One Identity Active Roles has improved our daily operations by simplifying user management and reducing manual work, as tasks like user creation, password resets, and access changes are faster and more consistent while also improving security by controlling permissions and keeping proper audit logs. Overall, it saves time and makes administration more efficient.
We saw around forty to fifty percent time savings in routine tasks like user creation and password resets, while the help desk workload also reduced since tasks are delegated properly, and errors in access management decreased, improving overall security and consistency.
What is most valuable?
The best features of One Identity Active Roles, in my opinion, are automated user lifecycle management, rule-based access control, and delegation, which allows us to automate the creation and modification of user roles, saving a lot of time while providing fine-grained access control with least privilege, thereby improving security.
The features are very helpful in daily work, especially with delegation, where we can give limited access to the help desk team to handle tasks like password resets or unlocking accounts without giving full admin rights, improving security and reducing the workload on senior admins.
One more useful feature of One Identity Active Roles is auditing and reporting, which tracks all changes made to user accounts and access, being very helpful for troubleshooting and compliance. Many people do not realize how useful this is for maintaining security and accountability.
What needs improvement?
One Identity Active Roles is very helpful, but a few improvements could make it even better, such as simplifying the user interface to make it more user-friendly, especially for new users, and making setup and configuration easier. Adding more customization in reporting and improving performance for larger environments would further enhance the experience. Overall, it is a strong tool with minor areas for improvement.
Navigation between different options can feel complex, so simplifying that would help. Additionally, quicker search and better filtering options for users and groups would make daily tasks even faster, enhancing usability.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working in my current field for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
One Identity Active Roles is generally stable and reliable, with most users rating its stability quite high, often between a seven to ten out of ten, consistently performing for daily operations like automation and user management without major downtime reported.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
One Identity Active Roles is highly scalable, capable of handling large environments with thousands or even hundreds of thousands of users across multiple domains without major issues and continuing to perform well and manage user groups and policies efficiently as the environment grows.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support is good, with the team being knowledgeable and helpful, usually assisting well with issues, although response times can sometimes vary depending on the complexity.
I would rate the customer support a nine out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were not using any dedicated solution before One Identity Active Roles, as most tasks were handled manually in Active Directory, and we switched to reduce manual efforts, improve security, and make user management more efficient.
How was the initial setup?
The integration of One Identity Active Roles with our existing IT infrastructure and directory services was relatively easy since it works closely with Active Directory, where the basic setup was straightforward; however, some configuration and fine-tuning took time. Once integrated, it works smoothly with our existing infrastructure.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a good return on investment, as routine tasks like user creation and password resets became faster, saving around forty to fifty percent of the time; delegation also reduced the workload on admins, allowing the team to focus on more important tasks, improving efficiency and reducing operational efforts.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing has been reasonable; the initial setup took some effort, especially during configuration, but it was manageable, with licensing being flexible based on the number of users and the environment, making it scalable and providing good value considering the features and time savings.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not formally evaluate other tools before choosing One Identity Active Roles, selecting it based on our requirement for better Active Directory management, automation, and security.
What other advice do I have?
One Identity Active Roles has significantly reduced the complexity and workload of administrative tasks related to Active Directory, as routine tasks like user creation, password resets, and access changes are automated or delegated, saving time and reducing manual efforts while making management more structured and consistent, making overall administration easier and more efficient.
My experience with the delegation of administrative tasks through One Identity Active Roles has been very good, allowing us to assign specific tasks like password resets, account unlocks, and basic user management to the help desk team without giving them full admin rights, which has improved our workflow by reducing the workload on admins and speeding up issue resolution while also improving security and accountability since access is controlled and all actions are properly logged.
My advice for others looking into using One Identity Active Roles would be to clearly understand your Active Directory structure and requirements before implementation, plan roles and permissions properly, and make good use of the automation and delegation features to reduce manual work and improve security.
Overall, One Identity Active Roles is a reliable tool that simplifies user management and improves security, saving time and making daily operations more efficient. I would rate this product eight out of ten.
Automation has transformed onboarding and now simplifies secure access delegation every day
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for One Identity Active Roles is to simplify and automate Active Directory management. I use it for user provisioning, group management, and to handle access requests more effectively. It helps reduce manual effort and ensures consistency in user account changes.
One Identity Active Roles automates access requests through a predefined workflow. For example, when a new employee joins, their manager can request access via a simple form. The system automatically assigns the required groups based on their role and approvals are handled within the workflow, so no manual intervention is needed from the IT team.
The delegation feature lets us assign specific admin tasks to different teams without giving full domain access. This maintains security while still allowing teams to manage their own users. It also gives us better visibility through auditing and reporting.
How has it helped my organization?
I have seen clear, measurable improvements after implementing One Identity Active Roles. User onboarding time has reduced from around 30 minutes to just five to 10 minutes with automated workflows. That alone has saved our IT team several hours each week, especially during bulk hiring periods. I have also noticed a significant drop in errors related to incorrect group assignments and missed access, since everything now follows predefined policies. Earlier, these issues were very common with manual changes, but now they are very rare.
What is most valuable?
The best features of One Identity Active Roles are its automation, delegation, and strong control over Active Directory. The workflow automation is especially useful. It helps handle user provisioning, approvals, and changes without manual effort. It also offers role-based delegation so you can give limited access to teams without exposing full admin rights, which improves security.
Policy-based automation stands out because it ensures all changes follow predefined rules, so there is consistency across users and groups without manual checks. Features like dynamic groups and temporal access make it easier to manage users automatically based on roles or time-based needs.
One Identity Active Roles has had a very positive impact on our organization, mainly by improving efficiency and security at the same time. Tasks such as user provisioning, access changes, and password resets are now automated, which has significantly reduced manual workload and saved a lot of time for our IT team. Automation can cut manual effort by a large margin and speed up routine operations considerably.
The automation capabilities of One Identity Active Roles are one of its strongest points. It significantly reduces manual effort by handling routine tasks through workflows and policies. For example, when a new user is created, the system can automatically assign group memberships, set attributes, and apply naming conventions based on predefined rules. Similarly, for role changes, it updates access rights without needing manual intervention. Overall, it saves time, reduces errors, and ensures consistency across the environment.
One Identity Active Roles has significantly reduced both complexity and workload for our Active Directory administration. Tasks that used multiple manual steps, such as user creation, access changes, and group management, are now handled through automatic workflows. It also simplifies operations by providing a centralized console, so admins do not have to jump between different tools or scripts. It makes day-to-day management much more straightforward and less time-consuming.
What needs improvement?
One area where One Identity Active Roles can be improved is in the user interface. It can feel outdated and not very intuitive for new users. Some tasks require multiple steps or navigation through different sections, which can slow things down initially. A more modern and simplified UI would definitely improve the overall experience.
Another area for improvement is around integration and flexibility. While it works well with the core Microsoft environment, expanding smoother integration with more third-party tools and cloud platforms would make it even more versatile. This would help organizations manage hybrid environments more seamlessly. Overall, One Identity Active Roles is already a strong product, but small enhancements in integration and scalability would be beneficial.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using One Identity Active Roles for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
One Identity Active Roles is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
One Identity Active Roles is generally considered highly scalable, especially for mid to large enterprise environments. From our experience and industry feedback, it handles growth quite well as the number of users, groups, and domains increase. The platform can scale without needing a complete redesign. For example, it can support larger user bases, even 100,000+ users in some cases, and still maintain performance with proper infrastructure planning.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support is very good and responsive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Earlier we were using native Active Directory tools and some PowerShell scripts for user and access management. While that worked, it was quite manual, time-consuming, and prone to inconsistency, especially as the environment grew. I switched to One Identity Active Roles to bring in automation, better delegation, and centralized control. Overall, the move helped us to standardize the process and scale more effectively as our user base increased.
How was the initial setup?
Overall, the integration was fairly smooth and straightforward, especially since our environment is already based on Active Directory. One Identity Active Roles fits naturally into AD, so the initial setup and synchronization did not require major changes to our existing infrastructure.
What was our ROI?
I have definitely seen a strong return on investment after implementing One Identity Active Roles. One clear example is in user onboarding, where what earlier took around 20 to 30 minutes per user now takes only five to seven minutes, which has saved us several hours of IT effort. Also, we have reduced dependency on senior admins since many tasks are now delegated or automated, so fewer escalations are needed. Overall, the time saving, improvement in efficiency, and reduced manual effort have made the investment worthwhile.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing and licensing has been generally positive, though it does not feel like a premium product. The licensing model is straightforward, and once understood, typically based on the number of managed users, which makes it predictable as the organization grows. Overall, while the cost may be on the higher side compared to basic tools, the value it delivers in terms of automation, efficiency, and security makes it a worthwhile investment.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing One Identity Active Roles, I evaluated a few other options. I looked at Microsoft's native tools and Azure Entra ID, as well as some third-party solutions such as ManageEngine ADPlus Manager. I chose One Identity Active Roles because it offered a better balance of automation, policy-based management, and fine-grained delegation, which suited our environment more effectively.
What other advice do I have?
I advise others looking into using One Identity Active Roles to plan out your workflows and policies carefully before implementation. One Identity Active Roles is very powerful, but you will get the most value if your processes are clearly defined from the start. Also, start with a phased approach. Begin with key use cases such as provisioning and delegation, then gradually expand to more advanced automation. This makes adoption smoother and avoids overwhelming the team. Finally, invest some time in training and documentation so your team can fully utilize the features instead of just using it as a basic AD tool. I would rate this product a 9 out of 10.
Automation has transformed daily identity governance and simplifies compliant user onboarding
What is our primary use case?
One Identity Active Roles serves as the centralized Active Directory user and group management solution in our organization. We primarily use it for automatic routine identity administration tasks like user provision, role assignment, and group management, which reduce the need for manual Active Directory changes.
A good example in our organization is employee onboarding in Active Directory using One Identity Active Roles . When a few employees join, instead of the IT team manually creating a user account and assigning permissions, the process is triggered through predefined rules and roles based on an employee's department, for example, finance or IT, and One Identity Active Roles handles this automatically.
One Identity Active Roles has become a daily operational control point for identity governance in our organization and environment. Beyond onboarding and role changes, we use it regularly for day-to-day identity administration tasks like resetting and managing user accounts in a controlled way, delegating limited administrative rights to different IT teams, and tracking and auditing every directory change for compliance purposes.
What is most valuable?
One Identity Active Roles offers excellent features that mainly focus on automation, governance, and secure Active Directory management. A few of them really stand out in daily use. One of the most important features is automated user and group provisioning. It allows us to create, modify, and remove user accounts based on predefined rules, which significantly reduces manual work and ensures consistency across the environment.
The automated user and group provisioning feature in One Identity Active Roles has had a very noticeable positive impact on our team, especially in terms of time saving and accuracy. Before automation, onboarding or updating a user required multiple manual steps in Active Directory, including creating accounts, assigning groups, applying permissions, and verifying everything. This was not only time-consuming but also prone to human error such as missing group assignment or incorrect permissions.
Another feature that stands out in One Identity Active Roles is the delegation and role-based administrative model. It allowed us to safely delegate administrative tasks for different teams without giving them full Active Directory privilege.
One Identity Active Roles has a strong positive impact on our organization, mainly by improving efficiency, security, and governance in Active Directory management. One of the biggest improvements is the reduction in manual administrative work. Tasks such as user creation, group assignment, and access updates are now automated in policies, which has significantly reduced IT efforts and processing time. This has also helped us to avoid common human errors such as incorrect group membership or missing permissions.
Since implementing One Identity Active Roles, we have seen clear improvement in both time efficiency and error reduction, especially in identity lifecycle management. In terms of time saving, the biggest impact is in onboarding and routine Active Directory administration.
One Identity Active Roles has a strong positive impact on our compliance efforts and regulatory readiness. The biggest improvement comes from centralized audit and change tracking. Every identity-related action, such as user creation, group change, or permission update, is automatically logged. This gives us a complete audit trail, which is very important during internal and external compliance reviews.
Overall, One Identity Active Roles has significantly reduced the complexity and workload in Active Directory administration in our organization. Before its implementation, most Active Directory tasks such as user provisioning, group updates, and permission changes were manual and often required coordination between multiple teams. This not only increased workload but also introduced delays and occasional errors.
The delegation capability in One Identity Active Roles has had a very positive impact on our workflow and operational efficiency. Previously, most Active Directory tasks had to go through a central IT or domain admin team. We can now safely assign specific responsibilities to different teams or a support group without giving them full domain-level access.
What needs improvement?
A few improvements I would like to see in One Identity Active Roles are mainly around usability, reporting, and modern integration. One key area is user interface simplification. While the tool is very powerful, the admin console can feel complex for a new administrator. A more modern, intuitive UI with clearer navigation would make onboarding easier for IT teams. Another improvement area is reporting and analysis. Having more real-time dashboards, customizing reports, and better visibility into identity changes will make it easier to monitor governance at a glance without exporting data manually.
A couple of additional improvement areas stand out, especially around integration and operational flexibility in One Identity Active Roles. One important area is smoother integration with the modern SaaS and cloud identity ecosystem. While it works very well with Active Directory integration, newer cloud-native applications or hybrid environments can sometimes require extra configuration efforts. More out-of-the-box connectors and simpler setup in cloud platforms would make adoption faster and easier.
Better real-time monitoring and alerting would also be beneficial. While the platform does provide auditing and logs, having more proactive, real-time alerts for unusual identity changes such as bulk permission updates or suspected group notifications would be beneficial.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using One Identity Active Roles for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
One Identity Active Roles is stable. Based on real-world usage patterns and enterprise feedback, One Identity Active Roles is generally considered stable and reliable in a production environment.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support for One Identity Active Roles is generally good, but with a few mixed experience issues. From our experience, the support team is technically knowledgeable and helpful, especially for standard configuration issues and Active Directory integration questions regarding known product behaviors. When the issue is well defined, they usually provide clear guidance and workflow solutions.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before choosing One Identity Active Roles, we did evaluate a few other identity and access management solutions, mainly to compare automation, Active Directory governance features, and scalability.
How was the initial setup?
The integration of One Identity Active Roles with our existing IT infrastructure and directory services was moderately easy, but required careful planning during setup. Since it is primarily designed for Active Directory environments, integration with our core directory service was quite straightforward and worked smoothly out of the box. It connected well with the existing AD structure, which made initial deployment faster and more stable.
What was our ROI?
We have seen a clear return on investment with One Identity Active Roles, mainly driven by usage savings, reduced manual effort, and improving operational efficiency rather than direct cost reduction alone. One of the biggest measurable impacts has been administrative time saving.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others considering One Identity Active Roles is to start with clear planning and a well-defined identity governance model before implementation. From our experience, the tool is very powerful, but the real value comes when rules and access policies are properly designed upfront, with the Active Directory structure being clean and well-organized.
One final thought about One Identity Active Roles is that its biggest strength is not just automation, but the governance structure it brings to Active Directory management. It efficiently shifts identity management from the manual, ticket-driven process to a policy-based control system, which improves both security and operational consistency over time. I would rate this product a 9 overall.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Automation and delegated workflows have transformed how I manage secure user lifecycles
What is our primary use case?
My main use case for One Identity Active Roles is to automate and secure user lifecycle management in Microsoft Active Directory , which helps reduce manual administrator efforts, enforce policies, and enable delegated administration with proper governance. For internal role changes, One Identity Active Roles updates access rights through control workflows, ensuring least privilege access. During employees' exits, accounts are automatically disabled and access is revoked. To maintain security, I use delegations to allow helpdesk teams to reset passwords and manage basic user attributes without giving full administrative rights. Approval workflows are implemented for sensitive access requests, ensuring compliance and audit readiness.
One Identity Active Roles centralizes and automates identity and access management for Microsoft Active Directory environments, primarily used to streamline user lifecycle management, enforce security policies, and enable role-based access control through delegated administrators. The solution helps reduce manual intervention and administrative tasks such as user account creation, modification, and deactivation, ensuring that access provisioning follows standardized workflows with proper approval, improving governance and compliance. Additionally, One Identity Active Roles provides auditing and reporting capabilities, which help organizations track changes, maintain compliance, and enhance overall security posture.
What is most valuable?
One of the standout features of One Identity Active Roles is its powerful automation capability, which streamlines user provisioning and de-provisioning processes and significantly reduces manual effort and minimizes human error. The delegation model is another key strength that allows organizations to assign limited administrative rights to helpdesk teams using role-based access control without granting full domain admin privilege, enhancing security. The approval workflow engine is highly valuable, ensuring that sensitive access requests go through proper authorization, improving governance and compliance. Additionally, the auditing and reporting capabilities provide complete visibility into changes made in Active Directory, which is critical for compliance and security monitoring. Finally, its seamless integration with Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Entra makes it effective in managing both on-premises and hybrid identity environments.
In addition to its core automation and delegation capabilities, One Identity Active Roles offers several advanced features that enhance identity management. One notable feature is policy-based management, allowing organizations to enforce standardized rules such as naming conventions, attribute validation, and access control policies automatically. The solution also provides a web-based interface, enabling self-service capabilities for end-users and simplifying administrative tasks for IT teams. Another valuable feature is its advanced auditing and reporting system, providing detailed insight into all changes made within Active Directory, which is particularly useful for compliance and security monitoring. One Identity Active Roles supports hybrid identity environments through seamless integration with Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID , allowing centralized management of both on-premises and cloud identities. Additionally, the solution includes flexible workflow customization, enabling organizations to design approval processes tailored to their business requirements. Overall, these additional features make One Identity Active Roles a comprehensive and scalable identity and access management solution.
What needs improvement?
One Identity Active Roles can be improved, as there are a few areas that could be enhanced. The initial setup and configuration can be complex, especially when designing workflows, policies, and delegation models. It requires proper planning and skilled resources to implement effectively. The user interface, although functional, could be more modern and intuitive, as new users may require some time and training to become comfortable with the system. Reporting flexibility could also be improved, as there are built-in reports that are useful, but more customizable and user-friendly reporting options would enhance the overall experience. Additionally, the license cost is relatively high, which may concern small- to mid-sized organizations. Improving documentation and providing more guided implementation resources would help organizations accelerate deployment and reduce dependency on external support. Overall, addressing these areas would make the solution more accessible and easier to adopt.
One Identity Active Roles is a mature and feature-rich solution, but there are a few areas where improvement would enhance the overall experience, such as simplifying the initial deployment and configuration process, improving the user interface, enhancing reporting capabilities by providing more flexible options, and offering better documentation with more detailed implementation guides. Additionally, optimizing licensing costs or offering more flexible pricing models could make the solution more accessible to a wider range of organizations.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using One Identity Active Roles for around one to two years in an enterprise environment, primarily for Active Directory automations and access governance.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
One Identity Active Roles is stable and reliable in my environment, as I experience consistent performance with minimal downtime, handling large-scale user management operations efficiently without performance degradation. Once it is properly configured, it runs smoothly and supports day-to-day identity management tasks without issue, with any minor issues encountered mostly related to configuration and integration rather than the core stability of the product. Overall, I consider One Identity Active Roles to be a stable solution, suitable for enterprise-grade environments.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of One Identity Active Roles in my experience efficiently supports a large user base of five thousand or more users without performance issues, handling increasing workloads such as user provisioning, access management, and workflow processing with ease. The architecture allows for scaling by adding additional One Identity Active Roles servers, enabling load distribution and improved performance as the environment grows, and performs well in a hybrid environment by integrating with Microsoft Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID , making it adaptable to both on-premises and cloud-based identity management needs. Overall, the solution provides strong scalability and can grow alongside organizational requirements without significant limitation.
How are customer service and support?
My experience with customer support for One Identity Active Roles has been generally positive, as the support teams are knowledgeable and capable of handling technical issues related to configuring workflows and integration, responding promptly and helpfully to critical issues to ensure minimal operational impact. For standard or low priority cases, response times can vary, but the overall support quality remains satisfactory. The availability of documentation and knowledge-based articles is helpful, although more detailed and implementation-focused guidance would further improve the experience. Overall, I rate customer support around eight out of ten for responsiveness and technical expertise.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used a different solution, managing Microsoft Active Directory manually using native administrator tools and scripts, which provided basic functionality but lacked automation, centralized control, and governance features. Most user provisioning, modification, and access management tasks were performed manually, making it time-consuming and prone to human errors, with challenges in delegation and audit visibility. After moving to One Identity Active Roles, I achieve better automation, improved security through controlled delegation, and enhanced compliance with detailed auditing and reporting, significantly improving efficiency and reducing operational risk compared to the previous approach.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup and configuration of One Identity Active Roles can be complex, especially when designing workflows, policies, and delegation models. It requires proper planning and skilled resources to implement effectively. Organizations need to carefully coordinate the implementation process, involving multiple teams, including AD, security, and infrastructure, to ensure success.
What was our ROI?
I have observed a strong return on investment after implementing One Identity Active Roles, especially in terms of operational efficiency and risk reduction, as the automation of user lifecycle management reduces manual administrator efforts by approximately fifty percent, allowing IT teams to focus on more strategic tasks, while user provisioning timing decreases by around sixty to seventy percent, improving onboarding and overall service delivery. Overall, I believe the solution delivers solid ROI within a reasonable timeframe.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with the setup cost and licensing of One Identity Active Roles is that it has been on the higher side, as expected for an enterprise-grade identity and access management solution. The initial investment includes licensing, infrastructure setup, and implementation effort, with licensing typically based on the number of managed users or accounts, which can increase costs in large environments. However, the overall cost is justified by the value it delivers, as the automation capabilities significantly reduce manual administrative efforts, lowering operational costs over time while minimizing security risks and helping avoid potential compliance penalties. From a long-term perspective, I observe a good return on investment due to improved efficiency, reduced errors, and better governance. Overall, while the upfront cost might seem high, the benefits and operational savings make it a worthwhile investment for medium to large enterprises.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to organizations considering One Identity Active Roles is to clearly define their identity management requirements and plan the implementation carefully. Investing time designing workflows, delegation models, and policies before deployment ensures smooth operation and maximum benefit from the solution. Organizations should also conduct a proof of concept to validate key use cases such as lifecycle automation and access governance, and proper training for administrators and helpdesk teams is essential to fully utilize the platform's capabilities. Overall, One Identity Active Roles is highly recommended for organizations looking to streamline and secure Active Directory management. I provide this review with an overall rating of nine out of ten.