Managing Office 365 with ADHQ

Hybrid Office 365 environments add many new tasks to your existing Active Directory-based workload. From creating additional accounts on a new platform to managing licenses and service plans, it sometimes feels as though Microsoft has completely missed the "making things easier" mark and instead just added more work for administrators.

Using Microsoft's tools

Some Office 365 tasks, like creating accounts, are handled nicely with the default configuration of Azure AD Connect. Create a user in the local domain, and immediately (i.e. within 30 minutes), the corresponding account appears in your Office 365 directory. Unfortunately, that's where the fun stops when it comes to managing Office 365 with the built-in tools. A slow, clunky web interface, limited reporting capabilities, and little support for bulk object manipulation makes it a pretty painful experience. Of course, you always have the option of using PowerShell cmdlets to "improve" your Office 365 management. Below is Microsoft's partial example for removing service plans for a user. Suuuper easy, right?

A better option: ADHQ

ADHQ has the ability to create Office 365 accounts and manage licenses and service plan assignment. From the Add User tool (or the Import New Users tool for bulk management), simply check the box to create an Office 365 account. Then use the Licenses operation to select which licenses and services plans you want the user(s) to have access to. Everything you need to set up your Office 365 accounts, all in one spot, in one simple graphical interface. You can't beat that.

ADHQ Office 365 Reports*

With respect to reporting on Office 365 attributes, ADHQ can do that as well. Take advantage of our built-in reports on users' licensing information, Office 365 mailbox statistics, or a number of other Office 365 attributes like sign-in status, last sync time, usage locations, and more. Any Office 365 attribute can be displayed on reports with any attribute or common property from your local directory, giving you a comprehensive view of your hybrid environment.

* Office 365 reporting is available in ADHQ Professional and Enterprise editions.