At this point, a lot of entities don’t need AD because their entire workflow runs in a web browser, and practically any SSO provider will work.
That said, accessing actual computer resources can be managed with groups and ACLs. Perhaps not as elegantly or as well-integrated as AD is, but that’s the price you pay.
What is the alternative to AD, and are there currently companies running that, big or small?
I replied elsewhere, but our org has just been so happy with Jumpcloud.
Red hat IDM, aka freeipa.
Depending on what youre doing you absolutely don’t need active directory.
Hell, a lot of orgs are just going entra anyway. If you’re using SSO like that or okta or keycloak you likely don’t need AD.
At this point, a lot of entities don’t need AD because their entire workflow runs in a web browser, and practically any SSO provider will work.
That said, accessing actual computer resources can be managed with groups and ACLs. Perhaps not as elegantly or as well-integrated as AD is, but that’s the price you pay.