Topic starter
08/07/2026 6:51 pm
TL;DR: Active Directory is not disappearing on the pace many cloud predictions implied, and IS Decisions cites Microsoft survey data showing 93% of respondents describe their estates as hybrid while 54% still run workloads on-premise with AD. The real governance issue is not cloud victory, but how IAM operates when control, cost, compliance, and application compatibility keep identity management multi-polar.
Editorial analysis by NHI Mgmt Group, based on content published by IS Decisions: “The future of Active Directory: Why it's not going anywhere soon”.
By the numbers:
- 93% described themselves as "hybrid" in a Microsoft survey of 246 hands-on IT professionals cited by IS Decisions.
- 54% still run workloads on-premise with Active Directory, according to Microsoft survey data cited by IS Decisions.
Key questions
A: Security teams should govern authentication by mapping each access path to the directory that actually enforces policy, then applying MFA and contextual controls at the authentication edge.
Q: Why do organisations keep Active Directory even after moving heavily to the cloud?
A: Organisations keep Active Directory because many applications, control requirements, and cost structures still depend on it.
Q: What breaks when identity strategy assumes a cloud-only future too early?
A: You create governance gaps for workloads, policies, and access paths that still depend on on-premises AD.
Practitioner guidance
- Map identity control ownership across both directories Document which authentication, authorization, and lifecycle decisions remain in Active Directory and which move to cloud identity so the governance boundary is explicit.
- Inventory applications that still require on-premises AD Identify the workloads that cannot move cleanly to cloud identity because of compatibility, latency, regulatory, or cost constraints.
- Extend security layers consistently across both environments Apply MFA, SSO, and contextual access controls in a way that works for hybrid estates rather than only for cloud-native users.
Bottom line: Active Directory persists because hybrid operating models still solve real problems that cloud-only identity does not fully eliminate.
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08/07/2026 7:12 pm
Hybrid identity is now the default operating model, not the transitional state. The cloud-only end state is still real for some organisations, but the article’s data shows that many enterprises will remain hybrid for the foreseeable future. That means identity programmes built around a near-term AD retirement are often solving the wrong problem. Practitioners should plan for durable coexistence across cloud and on-premises identity, not a short migration horizon.
A few things that frame the scale:
- 69% of security leaders agree identity management must fundamentally shift to address agentic AI systems, according to the 2026 Infrastructure Identity Survey.
A question worth separating out:
Q: What does the future of Active Directory mean for IAM programme design?
A: IAM programmes need to design for parallel environments, not a clean handover. That means supporting hybrid identity operations, layering controls consistently, and measuring maturity by how well the organisation governs both cloud and on-premises identity together. A mixed estate is the operating assumption for many enterprises.
👉 Read our full editorial: Active Directory's hybrid future reshapes IAM and cloud identity