Microsoft Active Directory

What Microsoft Active Directory is

Microsoft Active Directory Domain Services is Windows software for managing directory-based identity and access in Windows Server environments. It supports single sign-on through Kerberos and NTLM, and lists smart cards as a multifactor authentication method. The software is offered through Windows Server 2025 Standard, Datacenter, and pay-as-you-go licensing. Standard is designed for physical or minimally virtualized environments and is listed at $1,176 a month, billed at the suggested MSRP. Datacenter targets highly virtualized datacenters and cloud environments and costs $6,771 a month. The pay-as-you-go option is transacted through Azure Arc at $33.58 a month, with the page also showing $0.046 per hour. Licensing is core-based and requires a Windows Server CAL. Pricing is shown in USD and may vary by country. There is no free plan. Active Directory runs on Windows. Microsoft was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Redmond, Washington, United States.