Top features for AD and Microsoft identity governance | CISO guide

Active Directory (AD) remains the backbone of enterprise identity. A joint advisory from CISA, the NSA and international partners on detecting and mitigating Active Directory compromises calls AD the most widely used authentication and authorization solution in enterprise IT networks worldwide. The same advisory catalogs 17 distinct techniques that attackers use to compromise it.

The risk does not stop at the domain controller. Most organizations now run AD management alongside Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft 365, which spreads one identity estate across several administrative surfaces.

Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report found credential abuse somewhere in the attack chain in 39% of breaches. A single stale account or an unreviewed group membership is often enough to turn one compromised credential into a domain-wide incident.

This is why choosing the right AD and Microsoft identity governance solution is such an important decision for CISOs. The right platform should enforce least privilege, automate the identity lifecycle, eliminate standing access and give auditors clear evidence that policy is actually being followed.

In this guide, we will look at the top features CISOs should evaluate when choosing an AD and Microsoft identity governance solution for their organization.

AD and Microsoft identity governance is the combination of directory administration, such as creating users, managing groups and assigning licenses, and the policy layer that decides who is allowed to make those changes and under what conditions.

In today’s hybrid Microsoft environment, a strong AD and Microsoft identity governance solution helps security teams:

• Delegate administrative tasks without handing out excess directory privileges
• Automate provisioning, changes and deprovisioning across AD, Entra ID and Microsoft 365
• Keep groups and organizational units accurate and free of sprawl
• Review and certify access on a regular basis to catch entitlement creep
• Synchronize identity data between directories and connected applications
• Produce audit-ready change history for compliance and incident investigations
• Extend governance to hybrid and non-Windows systems without adding unnecessary complexity

There are many tools available for organizations that need stronger administration and governance across their Microsoft environment. For example:

Active Roles by One Identity – Active Roles is the best option for organizations that need to administer and govern Active Directory, Entra ID and Microsoft 365 from one console. It is especially relevant for teams that want fine-grained delegation, zero standing privilege, policy-based automation and a clear path to broader identity governance and administration (IGA).

SolarWinds Access Rights Manager – SolarWinds Access Rights Manager is a strong fit for organizations that need deep visibility into AD and file server access. It also supports self-service requests and lets data owners manage permissions directly.

ManageEngine ADAudit Plus – ManageEngine ADAudit Plus focuses on real-time change tracking, logon monitoring and compliance-ready reporting across on-premises AD and Entra ID. It is useful for teams that already have provisioning and lifecycle management covered elsewhere and need stronger auditing on top.

AD Pro Toolkit – AD Pro Toolkit is a lightweight toolkit built to replace ad hoc PowerShell scripting for common AD tasks, such as bulk user imports, stale account cleanup and account lockout troubleshooting.

Netwrix Account Lockout Examiner – Netwrix Account Lockout Examiner is a focused utility that helps IT teams find the root cause of AD account lockouts quickly.

Once you have a shortlist of potential vendors, the next step is to evaluate each platform against the features that matter most for AD and Microsoft identity governance:

Unified administration brings on-premises AD, Entra ID and Microsoft 365 into a single console so admins are not switching between separate tools to complete one change.

For CISOs, this is important because a routine hybrid change spread across multiple consoles is slower to complete and easier to get wrong. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Consistent policy across surfaces: The same delegation, automation and audit policy should apply whether an object lives on-premises or in the cloud.
• No forced context-switching: Admins should be able to complete a hybrid task in one place, without having to switch between tools such as PowerShell or the Entra admin center.

Fine-grained delegation lets security teams grant a specific action on a specific set of objects, instead of giving users broader administrative permissions than they need.

For CISOs, this is important because complex or overly broad AD permissions can be difficult to control and review over time. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Reusable delegation templates: Delegation should be defined through reusable policy objects rather than one-off permission grants.
• Scoped administrative views: The platform should let teams scope delegation and policy to a business unit or object type without having to restructure the directory.
• Reportable permissions: Every delegation should be easy to list and explain to an auditor as and when needed.

Zero standing privilege means elevated access exists only for the time it is needed, then expires automatically.

For CISOs, this is important because standing admin rights are exactly what attackers rely on to escalate privilege once they compromise a single account. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Visibility of standing privileges: Without visibility across the environment, risky standing privileges often go unnoticed.
• Temporal group membership: Access should be granted for a defined window and removed automatically when it expires.
• Role-based access control: Permissions should be based on defined roles rather than ad hoc grants.

Coverage across AD and cloud roles: Zero standing privilege should apply to Entra ID and Microsoft 365 roles as well as on-premises AD groups (not just one or the other).

Identity lifecycle management automates provisioning, role changes and deprovisioning as a user’s employment status changes.

For CISOs, this is important because manual provisioning is slow and inconsistent, and manual deprovisioning is one of the most common sources of orphaned, over-permissioned accounts. This is often the case in HR where lifecycle events for employee/identity lifecycle events are often not addressed when they should be, leaving accounts overprivileged or with standing privileges that should be decommissioned. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• HR-driven triggers: Lifecycle events should be able to start automatically from HR system changes, such as a termination or transfer.
• Approval workflows: Access requests and role changes should route through defined approval steps before they take effect.

Workflow automation and policy enforcement apply consistent rules (such as naming standards and attribute validation) automatically as directory objects are created or changed.

Workflow automation and automated policy enforcement are directly applicable when considering the number of JML changes that come through HR to the directory team. Setting group policies based on attributes and automating workflows that enforce those policies can result in fewer overprivileged accounts and less standing privileges, thereby reducing the attack surface for that organization.

For CISOs, this is important because policy that lives only in a document is not policy that gets enforced. It must be applied at the point of change. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Naming and attribute standards: The platform should enforce consistent naming conventions and required attributes as objects are created or changed.
• Script and policy extensibility: Security teams should be able to extend enforcement with custom policy or script logic where native rules are not enough.
• Consistent application across domains: Policies should apply the same way across every AD domain and Microsoft tenant in scope.

Real-time directory synchronization keeps identity data consistent between AD, Entra ID, HR systems and connected business applications.

For CISOs, this is important because out-of-sync identity data is what causes access to be granted late, removed late or never removed at all. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Real-time synchronization: Changes in one system should be reflected in connected systems without manual work or long delays.
• HR system integration: The platform should be able to trigger identity changes directly from HR systems of record.
• Application connectors: Look for pre-built synchronization with common business applications.

Change history and auditing capture who made a change, what changed and when, across every directory and tenant in scope.

For CISOs, this is important because when something goes wrong, security teams must immediately be able to figure out what happened. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Searchable audit trails: Security and compliance teams should be able to search records quickly during an investigation or review.
• Compliance-ready reporting: The platform should generate reports mapped to relevant frameworks and regulations.
• Correlation across environments: Audit records should cover AD, Entra ID and Microsoft 365 activity together.

Non-human identity management and governance is about applying the same ownership and lifecycle controls to service accounts, application identities and AI agents in AD that already apply to human users.

For CISOs, this is important because non-human accounts often carry broad, unreviewed permissions, which makes them a quiet but persistent path to domain-wide compromise. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Assigned ownership: Every non-human account should have a named human owner accountable for its access and continued need.
• Credential rotation: Passwords and secrets tied to service accounts should rotate on a schedule.
• Scoped, least-privilege permissions: Non-human accounts should hold only the permissions their function requires, reviewed on the same cadence as human access.

Deployment flexibility determines how easily a solution fits into the organization’s existing hybrid Microsoft environment, while scalability determines how well it holds up as that environment grows.

For CISOs, this is important because AD and Microsoft identity governance is a long-term control, and it must scale with the organization’s wider identity security program. When evaluating this feature, look for:

• Flexible deployment options: The platform should support on-premises, hybrid and cloud-hosted directory environments, including managed AD services.
• Enterprise-scale architecture: The solution should perform reliably as domains and tenants grow.
• Integration with the wider identity stack: The platform should connect cleanly with IGA, privileged access management (PAM) and access management tools as the identity program matures.

In addition to the core feature checklist, CISOs should also consider how AD and Microsoft identity governance needs change by industry. The right solution should align with the systems, compliance pressures and access patterns most relevant to the organization.

a. Healthcare

Healthcare organizations need tools that can govern access to patient data, clinical applications and the accounts tied to connected medical devices, many of which still authenticate through AD.

CISOs should prioritize fine-grained delegation, group governance, access certification and detailed audit trails across EHR systems and third-party clinical technology providers.

An AD and Microsoft identity governance solution should also support compliance requirements and security frameworks such as HIPAA and SOC 2.

b. Finance

Financial services organizations need tools that support strict access governance, auditability and rapid response across systems that hold sensitive financial data.

CISOs should prioritize zero standing privilege, granular delegation, entitlement reviews and detailed, searchable audit trails.

An AD and Microsoft identity governance solution should also support compliance requirements and security frameworks such as SOX and PCI DSS.

c. Manufacturing

Manufacturing organizations often run AD alongside legacy and operational technology (OT) systems that weren’t designed with modern identity governance in mind.

CISOs should prioritize governance for legacy systems, hybrid IT-OT access, remote vendors and plant-floor accounts.

An AD and Microsoft identity governance solution should also support compliance requirements and security frameworks such as ISA/IEC 62443 and NIST CSF where applicable.

AD and Microsoft identity governance is no longer optional for organizations running a hybrid Microsoft environment. We hope that the insights shared in this guide help you evaluate the features that matter most and choose the right solution for your organization.