On Prem Microsoft AD Integration with On Prem 3CX v18

[ipt_dude]

Hi Internets,

Is there any option, besides using Asure, to integrate on prem 3CX with our on prem Active Directory? We don't do anything in Azure and I'm not going to attempt to change the organization's MS AD environment - simply to have AD integration and Single Sign On benefits for 3CX.

TIA,

Amir

 

[ChrisC_3CX]

If by "using Azure" you mean as described here and here then I'm afraid not.

 

[ipt_dude]

If by "using Azure" you mean as described here and here then I'm afraid not.

If we did this, would our users be able to sign into the Web Client with their AD username instead of their extension?

 

[SweetAction]

If we did this, would our users be able to sign into the Web Client with their AD username instead of their extension?

Yes, they would use their 365 creds (if you sync ad to aad then their onprem samaccountname by default)

 

[ipt_dude]

Yes, they would use their 365 creds (if you sync ad to aad then their onprem samaccountname by default)

Thanks. Our issue is we are ON PREM AD only - no 365 license and no Azure services.

My goal is to not have to tell our MS AD team that they have to "re-design" their AD just to allow 3CX on prem to integrate with AD. Call Manager has been AD integrated since - I don't know - the '70s.

Amir

 

[SweetAction]

Thanks. Our issue is we are ON PREM AD only - no 365 license and no Azure services.

My goal is to not have to tell our MS AD team that they have to "re-design" their AD just to allow 3CX on prem to integrate with AD. Call Manager has been AD integrated since - I don't know - the '70s.

Amir

I mean if you want to be "on prem only"

Consider AAD (Azure AD) just a piece of the 3CX integration puzzle. You can use AAD for free and sync from local AD to AAD, so your source of truth is still local AD and all AAD does is give integration for 3CX. Just like Google provides transcription (if you use that) and so forth.

 

[ipt_dude]

I mean if you want to be "on prem only"

Consider AAD (Azure AD) just a piece of the 3CX integration puzzle. You can use AAD for free and sync from local AD to AAD, so your source of truth is still local AD and all AAD does is give integration for 3CX. Just like Google provides transcription (if you use that) and so forth.

Hi Sweetaction,

One of the guys from my team replied back to me about Azure AD being "free" as you mentioned. One of you is not correct.

+++++++++++++++++++
Azure AD isn’t free. Its only free if you have an “existing” subscription with Microsoft. Also Azure AD doesn’t support LDAP or Kerberos and NTLM so that means if we pay for any of the services we couldn’t leverage it for anything else without making wholesale on prem AD changes.

Azure Active Directory comes in four editions—Free, Office 365 apps, Premium P1, and Premium P2. The Free edition is included with a subscription of a commercial online service, e.g. Azure, Dynamics 365, Intune, and Power Platform. Office 365 subscriptions include the Free edition, but Office 365 E1, E3, E5, F1 and F3 subscriptions also include the features listed under the Office 365 apps column. The Premium editions are available through your Microsoft representative, the Open Volume License Program, and the Cloud Solution Providers program. Azure and Office 365 subscribers can also buy Azure Active Directory Premium P1 and P2 online. Sign in here to purchase.
+++++++++++++++++++

 

[SweetAction]

Apologies @ipt_dude, I should have explained further.

Regarding "Azure AD doesn’t support LDAP or Kerberos and NTLM" - correct. For the integration with 3CX this isn't needed, so I didn't mention it. You keep your existing on-prem AD and that can handle your needs in this space as it does today.

Regarding AAD free with paid subscriptions (or as a standalone paid offering) - you are correct. It's pretty rare to find a customer that fits in 3CX's offering that doesn't leverage 365 already in some way. Certainly it's possible (I actually have 3 customers in this boat) but I made a bad assumption and I shouldn't have.

That being said, and I will preface this with "this is not advice, I am not recommending any specific action, this is simply information", a subscription can be as low as like $20 a year. Understand that I can own 1 subscription in the qty of 1 (may not even be assigned to a user) and sync my local 500 user active directory to azure active directory. Those 500 users are obviously unlicensed but do exist in AAD.

 

[ipt_dude]

Apologies @ipt_dude, I should have explained further.

Regarding "Azure AD doesn’t support LDAP or Kerberos and NTLM" - correct. For the integration with 3CX this isn't needed, so I didn't mention it. You keep your existing on-prem AD and that can handle your needs in this space as it does today.

Regarding AAD free with paid subscriptions (or as a standalone paid offering) - you are correct. It's pretty rare to find a customer that fits in 3CX's offering that doesn't leverage 365 already in some way. Certainly it's possible (I actually have 3 customers in this boat) but I made a bad assumption and I shouldn't have.

That being said, and I will preface this with "this is not advice, I am not recommending any specific action, this is simply information", a subscription can be as low as like $20 a year. Understand that I can own 1 subscription in the qty of 1 (may not even be assigned to a user) and sync my local 500 user active directory to azure active directory. Those 500 users are obviously unlicensed but do exist in AAD.

Thanks for the update!

 

[VoIPTools]

You might want to take a look at our 3CX Active Directory Sync tool. It works with the traditional on-prem Active Directory. It's not free, but it does not require you to rearchetect your AD environment!

 

[ipt_dude]

You might want to take a look at our 3CX Active Directory Sync tool. It works with the traditional on-prem Active Directory. It's not free, but it does not require you to rearchetect your AD environment!

Thanks Matthew. The problem with your solution is pricing. I don't think it's reasonable to simply take the current licensing level of the 3CX and then charge clients the equivalent of that for your "suite" of tools - when most people, like ourselves, would only be using one of the "suite" of tools.

 

[VoIPTools]

As I see it, you have 3 options: (1) migrate to 365 with the associated costs and business interruption, (2) fund the labor costs of performing the tasks manually, or (3) use a tool like ours to automate the process.

However, I would be surprised if you couldn't benefit from several of our tools. On average, our customers typically use about 5-6 of our tools out of the 30+ tools we offer in the suite. My challenge is always to get people to look at everything we offer.

You may find we can save you money (and thus justify the expenditure) by eliminating other paid services (example answering services or dialer services) or by reducing labor (in the case of Active Directory Sync), or through customer retention by providing better service.

 

[ipt_dude]

As I see it, you have 3 options: (1) migrate to 365 with the associated costs and business interruption, (2) fund the labor costs of performing the tasks manually, or (3) use a tool like ours to automate the process.

However, I would be surprised if you couldn't benefit from several of our tools. On average, our customers typically use about 5-6 of our tools out of the 30+ tools we offer in the suite. My challenge is always to get people to look at everything we offer.

You may find we can save you money (and thus justify the expenditure) by eliminating other paid services (example answering services or dialer services) or by reducing labor (in the case of Active Directory Sync), or through customer retention by providing better service.

Your pricing model is cost prohibitive. You can't sell "add-ons" that conveniently DOUBLE the price of the PBX platform.