Multi-AD Support refers to the capability of an access control or identity management system to integrate with and manage users across multiple Active Directory (AD) domains or forests simultaneously. Rather than relying on a single AD instance, Multi-AD Support allows organizations with diverse, segmented, or federated environments to authenticate users from multiple trusted directories, without requiring complex trust relationships or duplication of identity data.
Many large enterprises, utilities, and critical infrastructure operators manage multiple AD domains due to organizational structure, regulatory boundaries, M&A activity, or network segmentation. In OT and IT environments, it’s common to separate Active Directories by region, business unit, or functional responsibility. Without Multi-AD Support, granting access across domains typically requires manual configuration, account duplication, or fragile domain trusts, creating operational inefficiencies and security risks.
Multi-AD Support is essential for enabling centralized identity governance across distributed environments. It ensures that role-based access, multi-factor authentication, and least-privilege enforcement can be applied consistently across multi-domain architectures. This is especially important for complying with standards like NERC CIP, IEC 62443, NIS2, and TSA SD02E, which require identity-based access control, segregation of duties, and detailed audit logging across user populations.
Xona natively supports integration with multiple Active Directory domains or forests, enabling organizations to unify access policies across diverse identity sources, without domain consolidation or manual workarounds. Users can authenticate through their existing AD credentials, and Xona enforces access policies based on group membership, role, or domain-specific attributes.
Whether you're managing regional ADs, separating IT and OT directories, or integrating contractor domains, Xona’s multi-AD architecture provides flexible identity mapping, role resolution, and centralized access control. Administrators can define policies that span domains and enforce time-based, role-based, and protocol-specific access, while maintaining full auditability across all user sessions.
This flexibility allows organizations to maintain their existing AD architecture while securely enabling cross-domain access to critical systems, without compromising Zero Trust principles or regulatory compliance.