The Best ADMT Alternative – Automated Solution for Active Directory Migration!

In this article, we are discussing an ADMT alternative that is more important because of the frequently reported imitations of ADMT. however, we are enlightening what is ADMT, how it works, and some limitations of ADMT. Additionally, we are suggesting the best alternative for ADMT.

In this rapidly changing environment, organizations grow or change through mergers acquisitions, or restructures, and their AD setups also need to be changed. Additionally, if a company has multiple AD “forests” ( separate AD environments) they might want to combine ADs for cost efficiency and to keep security constant within the organizational boundary. In these cases, smoothly migrating user accounts, groups, computers, and their permissions becomes important. However, these are a few situations where the Active Directory migration becomes essential.

To perform the migration in these situations or scenarios microsoft has developed ADMT (Active Directory Migration Tool). It helps admin by facilitating smooth transitions of objects between AD environments. However, it ensures keeping all the data safe and making sure everyone has access to what they need. This is a native method that comes with limitations like it requires extra time, effort, and technical expertise. Even though ADMT is good for Windows-based networks. But every organization’s needs are different, sometimes they have to explore other options to find the right fit for their specific data sizes and migration needs. Let’s talk about the ADMT alternative.

What is ADMT?

This tool is mainly used for migrating and changing the structure of Active Directory (AD) environments. it is a centralized authentication and access management service in Windows environments that helps manage users, computers, and other resources within a network.

The main purpose of this tool is to provide easy migration. It is used mainly in IT  infrastructures where organizations may need to change the structure of domains, consolidate forests, or merge multiple  AD environments. Let’s see the migration capabilities of this tool which makes it easy to understand the ADMT alternative.

What Objects Can be Migrated Using ADMT?

• User and User Group Migration: ADMT allows admins to migrate user accounts, groups, and their associated permissions from one AD domain to another.
• Computer: It provides the migration of computers (servers) between domains.
• SID History: ADMT manages Security Identifier (SID) history, ensuring that migrated objects retain their original SIDs.
• Password: It provides mechanisms to migrate user passwords securely, preserving user access credentials during migration processes by utilizing a third-party tool PES (Password Export Server).
• Security and Access Controls: ADMT ensures that security settings and access controls associated with migrated objects are maintained.

How Does Microsoft ADMT Work?

Let’s see the steps of this tool before going deep into the ADMT alternative. Here are steps to show, how you can migrate your AD objects using ADMT: The migration of all objects requires different steps which is why we have divided the migration steps according to the objects:

Migrate User:

• Step 1: Install ADMT on a server that is part of the destination’s domain.

• Step 2: Select “User Account Migration Wizard” after opening ADMT.

• Step 3: Choose the domains to be the source and target.Step
• 4: Select the users to move and indicate which OU to move them to.
• Step 5: Adjust the configuration (password options, SID history, etc.).

 

Group Migration:

• Step 1: In ADMT, utilize the “Group Account Migration Wizard.”
• Step 2: Decide on the target and source domains.
• Step 3: Select the groups to move and identify the intended OU.
• Step 4: Set up the migration and carry it out.

By following these steps an admin can simply migrate the groups to new AD. Let’s see how you can migrate passwords. However, this can be a limitation of this tool because it uses another tool to perform password migration. so considering an ADMT alternative can be an outcome of this limitation.

 Password Migration:

• Step 1: Set up a source domain controller to host the Password Export Server (PES).
• Step 2: Copy the encryption key to the ADMT server and configure PES.
• Step 3: To migrate users with passwords, utilize ADMT.

Migrating Computer Account:

• Step 1: Use ADMT’s “Computer Migration Wizard”.
• Step 2: Decide on the target and source domains.
• Step 3: Select the PCs to Migrate and indicate the intended OU (Organization Unit).
• Step 4: Plan the relocation to cause as little disturbance as possible to users.

After following These steps ADs will be migrated let’s move forward to ADMT limitations then we will see the ADMT alternative.

ADMT Limitations – Analysis of Shortcomings

• Time-consuming: Requires significant time and effort from IT staff. Each migration step must be done in sequence, extending timelines.
• Human intervention: If an admin is mistakenly configured wrong data this can lead to issues like missing objects and incorrect permissions.
• Maximized Downtime: Migration can cause downtime and disrupt business operations. This is the Primary reason for opting for ADMT Alternative. 
• Inconsistency: This can cause inconsistencies between source and target domains. This can lead to access issues with legacy resources by the loss of SID.
• Security Risks: Sensitive credentials need secure handling. Improperly configured trusts can lead to vulnerabilities.
• Complex: This tool may not support all scenarios or complex configurations. PES has specific requirements and limitations.

There are a few errors also in this tool that are addressed by Microsoft you can read it from this blog: Support policy and known issues for the Active Directory Migration Tool

These limitations are discussed because they may result in data loss or data mismatch. Therefore, you cannot rely on the native methods when migrating active directories in a complicated environment.

In this situation, using a premium vendor tool that can automate and streamline the procedure will help to minimize errors and human intervention. On the other hand, we advise you to make use of an excellent solution that will make your migration tasks smoother.

Best ADMT Alternative – Solution to ADMT Limitations

Steps for AD Migration Using this Automated Tool

After discussing the ADMT alternative let’s see the steps to migrate using the above-mentioned tool.

I hope that you have understood the steps to migrate via this best ADMT alternative solution.  

Features of this Robust Software

• Sync AD users, printers, computers, groups, and contacts simultaneously.
• Migrate Shared Folders and Organisational Units between AD domains.
• Computers that store user profiles can be moved between Active Directory domains.
• Capacity to Produce Multiple Jobs for the Multiple AD Object Migration.
• Create an object mapping pointing to the destination AD and the source AD.
• Different Options to Create or Merge AD Objects Using CSV File in Destination AD.
• Migrate Properties and Items Both on Inter AD Forests.
• Convert Multiple Active Directory Domains concurrently.
• Migrate the associated properties of the Recently Added AD Object for Migration.
• Promote the source domain and the destination domain to coexist.
• Switching of Access Controls (SID History).
  

Conclusion

To conclude, we have discussed the best ADMT alternative that can help to overcome the limitation of the Active Directory migration tool. However, we have also discussed what is ADMT, how it works, and what its limitations are. Additionally, we have discussed the best alternative tool that can able to overcome all the limitations of the ADMT.