The Best Active Directory Reporting Tools

Audit and verify your AD objects and check on migration or replication with an automated tool.

Active Directory is the leading access rights management system and its integration into Windows Server means that it is already available and free to many businesses. The system isn’t very easy to use and you will probably need to take a course in order to properly manage user accounts and asset access permissions.

One thing you will need to be able to do in order to keep Active Directory records well managed is to run reports on the contents of domain controllers. Apart from administrative duties, Active Directory reporting will help with security auditing and compliance reporting.

A big problem that you will encounter when setting up your Active Directory environment is that the native screens for administration are not very helpful and there are no security auditing tools available for free with the AD package. Therefore, you will have to acquire a reporting tool and that’s what we are investigating here with this guide.

Here is our list of the best Active Directory reporting tools: 

1. ManageEngine ADManager Plus – EDITOR'S CHOICE This package provides a full management service for Active Directory and Entra ID and can provide management for multiple domain controllers simultaneously. It has an extensive library of reports. Runs on Windows Server. Access a 30-day free trial.
2. NinjaOne A remote monitoring and management package that includes Active Directory reporting.
3. Netwrix Auditor for Active Directory A security assessment package that runs scans against Active Directory, reporting on accounts that are at risk. Runs on Windows Server.
4. ENow Active Directory Monitoring Tool This package includes an extensive list of reports that identify AD issues. Runs on Windows Server.
5. SolarWinds Access Rights Manager This package provides a new front end for Active Directory and Entra ID and includes a library of reports. Runs on Windows Server.
6. CJWDEV AD Info This handy package provides different views on AD data and is available in free and paid versions. Runs on Windows.

You will get the best value for money from Active Directory reporting tools that are integrated into Active Directory management systems. AD is a lot easier to manage if you have automated administration tools, and many services implement these tasks in the form of reports that you can run automatically. Others provide a view of AD domain controller records that you can query for ad-hoc manual reporting. So, there are a few options to explore here.

What to consider when finding your Active Directory reporting tools

You will find a number of different types of packages that will provide Active Directory reporting, and trying to compare systems that include different services can be difficult. So, it is helpful to focus on just the core requirements of an AD reporting system and regard anything else as nice-to-have extras. So, here are the core services that we looked for when compiling our list:

• An interface that provides a list of reports with easy-to-understand, descriptive names
• Options to run reports on the loud-based Entra ID (Azure AD) as well as on-premises implementations
• A scheduler to run reports regularly
• An option to run reports on demand
• Reports to check that all user accounts are correctly set up
• Security reporting tools with an option to feed results into a SIEM tool
• Value for money from an effective tool that is offered at a fair price

While appreciating a low price, we wouldn’t consider any tool that didn’t meet the minimum reporting functionality requirements that we outlined above.

The best Active Directory reporting tools

1. ManageEngine ADManager Plus – FREE TRIAL

ManageEngine ADManager Plus is a full system management package for Active Directory and it includes a menu of pre-written reports. The package provides a visual assessment of Active Directory activity, ad-hoc reports that produce lists of accounts that fit some specification, and also a display of records live in the interface for manual analysis. The reporting tool provides a range of output formats and can be used to feed data into a SIEM service.

Key Features:

• An on-premises package: Run this software on Windows Server
• Hybrid system monitoring: Manage AD on premises and on the cloud
• On-demand reporting: Use a report launcher or query live records in the interface
• Scheduled reporting: Run reports regularly on a schedule
• Security auditing: Look for abandoned or malformed accounts

Why do we recommend it?

ManageEngine ADManager Plus is probably the most comprehensive Active Directory reporting tool that you could find. However, the package is much more than that because it is a full management system for Active Directory and will substitute for the native administration services provided for AD by Microsoft.

The report formats provided by ADManager Plus can be used to assess the security of accounts, with lists of accounts that are not in use but are still active being one of the most important.

Behind the scenes, each AD record is really long with a lot of fields that don’t get shown and don’t need to have values when a record is first created. You can check on records to ensure that every account or permissions record is fully populated.

Who is it recommended for?

This package is appealing to any business that uses Active Directory as access rights manager. Given that the tool is able to manage AD for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, that’s a large potential user base. The system is free to use to manage up to 100 AD objects, so it is accessible for very small businesses.

ManageEngine provides ADManager Plus as a software package for Windows Server. You can examine the system with a 30-day free trial.

2. NinjaOne

NinjaOne is a cloud-based SaaS package that implements remote monitoring and management (RMM). The system has a multi-tenant architecture, which makes it suitable for use by managed service providers. Active Directory is among the systems that NinjaOne will manage and it provides a reporting tool.

Key Features:

• A better front end for AD: Reads records into a screen in the NinjaOne dashboard
• A data viewer for manual analysis: Lets administrators scan and search through domain controller contents
• Pre-written report formats: A library of reports
• On-demand and scheduled reports: Run a report from the list when needed or schedule them to run regularly

Why do we recommend it?

NinjaOne provides Active Directory management as part of its automated system-wide monitoring and management package. This system aims to maximize the efficiency of support technicians, thus providing managed service providers to make a profit in a tightly competitive market. This system isn’t as comprehensively focused on AD as ManageEngine ADManager Plus, but it provides sufficient scrutiny as part of a full-stack observability platform.

The automated account management features in the NinjaOne package are kicked off by scheduled reports. These scan user account data for specific status problems, such as approaching end dates or account inactivity. The reports provide a list of accounts that a technician needs to look at manually. With a well-run system, most report runs will show that no action needs to be taken.

Who is it recommended for?

The main market for NinjaOne lies with managed service providers. This tool looks after networks, endpoints, and applications. Its aim is to reduce the amount of work that human technicians need to perform, thus improving efficiency. There is nothing to stop IT departments from benefiting from this efficiency, so that provides a secondary market for NinjaOne.

Pros:

• Full-stack observability: Provides monitoring for networks, endpoints, and applications
• User account scanning: Scheduled report highlights AD records with problems
• Cost-saving features: Automated monitoring reduces the tasks allotted to human technicians
• Multi-tenant architecture: Suitable for managed service providers

Cons:

• No on-premises version: This is a cloud-based platform.

NinjaOne is a cloud-based platform; sign up for a 14-day free trial.

3. Netwrix Auditor for Active Directory

Netwrix Auditor performs scans on an Active Directory domain controller and reports on risks. The system is also able to scan other technologies, such as SQL Server databases or the NetApp storage management system, for security risks. The Netwrix system is useful for system protection and also for compliance auditing.

Key Features:

• User account analysis: Looks for incomplete records
• Assesses access permissions: Suggests more granular groups
• Tracks user activity: Looks for insider threats

Why do we recommend it?

Netwrix Auditor for Active Directory implements risk assessments on domain controllers in report format. The reports should be run regularly on a schedule but they can also be launched on demand. The reports reveal incomplete account details, abandoned accounts, unusual user activity, and unnecessary access rights. The system identifies any changes made to records in AD.

The Netwrix Auditor system can be set up to tune its risk assessments according to the requirements of data privacy standards. It has pre-written formats for compliance with CJIS, FERPA, FISMA, NIST, GDPR, GLBA, HIPAA, and ISO 27001. There are no remediation mechanisms in the package, so administrators need to fix the problems that a scan reveals and then run the reports again to confirm that systems are now compliant.

Who is it recommended for?

The Netwrix Auditor service will secure many technologies, particularly those produced by Microsoft. The system is available in a Community Edition, which is free to use and would be suitable for small businesses. The service is also offered in a multi-tenant architecture for use by managed service providers.

Netwrix Auditor is delivered as a software package for Windows Server. The Community Edition is free to use, but the company doesn’t publish the price of the full version. You can use the Community Edition as a substitute for a free trial and get a demo of the Standard edition to see what extra features it provides.

4. ENow Active Directory Monitoring Tool

ENow Active Directory Monitoring tool provides a straightforward status page that shows each domain controller as a block. If the block is green, everything is OK, red blocks indicate that a problem has been detected. The package includes a library of tools that cover every aspect of AD records, such as inactive users or approaching expiry dates.

Key Features:

• A focused list of reports: Covers permissions, user groups, user records, and administration tasks, such as replication
• Screen-based reports: Choose to export data into a file
• Network analysis: Looks at port availability and DNS issues

Why do we recommend it?

The ENow Active Directory Monitoring tool is a very effective system for monitoring multiple DCs for many applications and systems simultaneously. It is able to monitor Entra ID and other cloud-based AD implementations, such as those for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.

A report run produces results in a spreadsheet-type display. Each column can be clicked on to reorder the records, and there are filtering and grouping options. A button on the screen lets you save results to file in a range of formats. The tool offers a long list of reports, but the interface can be allocated to users with different roles and each role can be assigned a subset of that list, according to needs.

Who is it recommended for?

The ENow package is an excellent choice for businesses that run many instances of Active Directory and have complicated relationships between forests and trees that require frequent syncing through replication. The package offers value for money because it also provides AD-related network monitoring features. The tool isn’t really suitable for small businesses.

The best way to assess the ENow Active Directory Monitoring tool is to sign up for the 14-day free trial.

5. SolarWinds Access Rights Manager

SolarWinds Access Rights Manager matches the functionality of ManageEngine ADManager Plus because it provides an administration console for Active Directory. The tool includes reporting that can be easily tuned to specific data privacy standards, and its reports can be run on demand or on a schedule. This is a particularly good system for managing the relationships between multiple domain controllers.

Key Features:

• Active Directory administration: Provides an admin console for AD and Entra ID
• Compliance reporting: For GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS
• User account security: Identifies abandoned accounts and repeated failed logins

Why do we recommend it?

SolarWinds Access Rights Manager makes up for the lousy administration console provided by Microsoft. Once you have this tool running, all of your admin actions will be performed through this dashboard and you will never have to log into the native AD screens, such as Active Directory Users and Computers utility.

The main reason that you would buy this tool is to examine faulty AD records and clean them up – discover incomplete records, abandoned accounts, and outdated device records. You will also use it to get automated alerts on issues such as expired accounts and then reactivate them. The tool will watch over replication cycles and notify you if one action fails.

Who is it recommended for?

This tool is suitable for use by mid-sized and large businesses. You would need to be managing multiple DCs in order to justify the expense of buying this package, so it wouldn’t be suitable for small businesses. The service is able to monitor on-premises Active Directory and also Entra ID, which used to be called Azure AD. There is also an adaptation for SAP.

SolarWinds Access Right Manager is delivered as a software package for Windows Server. SolarWinds offers the system on a 30-day free trial.

6. CJWDEV AD Info

CJWDEV AD Info is a reporting tool for Active Directory. It is able to detect and list all of your DCs and provides pre-written queries for all of them together or each individually. Reports are shown on the screen in a spreadsheet format and can be exported to file.

Key Features:

• Pre-written queries: Click on a report name to see results in the lower part of the screen
• Custom queries: Change the fields shown in a standard report or create a new format
• Manual analysis: Sort and filter report output

Why do we recommend it?

CJWDEV AD Info provides similar reports to those offered by the ENow tool. However, this package is just a query tool and it doesn’t provide any AD management facilities. The interface design isn’t as sophisticated as the other tools on this screen but it does the job, providing search results very quickly.

The AD Info system is a viewer and explorer for Active Directory records. It is able to span multiple DCs with the queries that provide the data for the reports. However, they all have to be within the same domain. You can access multiple domains but you have to report on them separately. Report results are shown in the interface and that can be output through a screen print. It is also possible to export results in CSV or PDF formats.

Who is it recommended for?

This is a reporting tool, so it would be suitable for an administrator who has found a good AD management system that doesn’t have very good reporting capabilities. This is an affordable tool for any business, and small businesses will like the Free edition, which is limited to 190 pre-written queries. There is also a Consultant edition, which isn’t locked into one business, and an Unlimited edition, which can be accessed by multiple users for multiple businesses and so would suit managed service providers.

AD Info runs on Windows. You can try the package by downloading the Free edition.