7 New Active Directory Books Reshaping IT in 2025

The breakthrough moment came when Victor P Henderson developed a detailed approach to managing Active Directory environments that goes beyond basics and dives into security, automation, and cloud integration. You gain not just theoretical knowledge but practical skills, like implementing hybrid Azure Active Directory deployments and streamlining user management, through clear diagrams and hands-on exercises. This book suits system administrators, network engineers, and IT managers eager to deepen their directory services expertise and enhance organizational security. If your focus is mastering both foundational and advanced Active Directory tasks with up-to-date insights, this guide offers a solid path without overcomplicating matters.

The breakthrough moment came when Evgenij Smirnov, drawing on extensive experience with Active Directory (AD) environments, challenged conventional design habits that rely too heavily on legacy defaults. Instead, Smirnov advocates for engineering AD based on analyzing and fulfilling precise business requirements, rather than merely following design templates. You'll learn how to build a modern, secure, and reliable AD infrastructure that addresses today’s challenges, such as controlling object visibility and modernizing authentication protocols without compromising legacy compatibility. This book suits AD architects, consultants, and administrators tasked with updating their organizations’ directory services to meet evolving security and operational demands.

This tailored book explores the latest breakthroughs shaping Active Directory in 2025, focusing on your unique interests and background. It examines emerging developments and new insights that are transforming modern AD environments, providing a personalized journey through cutting-edge concepts and research. The content reveals how innovations in automation, security enhancements, and infrastructure modernization are redefining directory services. By concentrating on your specific goals, this tailored guide helps you navigate rapidly evolving technologies and strategies in Active Directory. It offers an engaging, expert-level learning experience that matches your expertise and curiosity, empowering you to stay ahead in the dynamic landscape of AD management.

What started as a practical need to simplify complex IT tasks led Vanita B to write this focused guide on PowerShell scripting for Active Directory management. You’ll find detailed explanations on creating and managing users, groups, and organizational units, alongside advanced scripting techniques such as ADSI and LDAP queries. The book also covers integrating Active Directory with Microsoft Exchange and Office 365, making it relevant for administrators working in hybrid environments. If you seek to automate routine directory tasks with secure and efficient scripts, this concise guide offers clear examples and exercises to build your confidence, whether you're new or seasoned in system administration.

Laszlo Bocso offers a detailed exploration of PowerShell tailored specifically for Active Directory management, aiming to equip you with both foundational knowledge and advanced automation skills. You’ll learn how to manage users, groups, computers, and organizational units efficiently, with chapters dedicated to scripting for security, troubleshooting, and hybrid Azure AD integration. For instance, the book’s practical scripts and step-by-step guides help you automate repetitive tasks and implement robust auditing and replication monitoring. This book suits IT professionals who want to deepen their PowerShell expertise to streamline Active Directory operations, though if you’re seeking a purely conceptual overview rather than hands-on scripting, it might feel dense.

Thaddeus Maazel, with a clear focus on Active Directory security, offers a detailed examination of how attackers exploit this critical infrastructure. You’ll navigate through chapters covering everything from reconnaissance with tools like BloodHound to advanced attacks such as Golden Ticket and DCShadow. The book doesn’t just expose vulnerabilities—it guides you through practical defenses, including incident response and future trends involving AI. If your role involves securing complex IT environments, this book gives you a solid grasp of both offensive tactics and defensive strategies, making it a useful resource for deepening your security expertise.

This tailored book explores the evolving landscape of Active Directory infrastructure planning, focusing on emerging best practices and developments projected for 2025 and beyond. It covers foundational concepts and advanced topics, examining new discoveries and forward-looking approaches that match your background and specific goals. By tailoring the content to your interests, it delves deeply into how to prepare directory services for future challenges, including security enhancements, automation trends, and cloud integration. This personalized guide reveals the knowledge needed to navigate modern AD complexities thoughtfully and confidently, emphasizing the latest insights to keep your skills current and relevant in a rapidly changing IT environment.

What sets this book apart is its focus on consolidating Active Directory domains into a single forest, a task that Wilson Boaventura approaches with clear technical precision. The book offers a practical guide to migrating domains to streamline network management, emphasizing how consolidation improves security and operational agility. You’ll gain insight into the benefits of centralized resource management and a stepwise understanding of how to execute this consolidation effectively. With just 72 pages, it’s a focused resource that suits IT professionals responsible for infrastructure optimization and network administrators looking to modernize their Active Directory environments.

Unlike most Active Directory books that focus narrowly on configuration, Jerry Meyer dives into the security pitfalls and real threats facing AD and Azure AD environments today. You get a detailed exploration of how attackers exploit AD’s architecture to escalate privileges, launch ransomware, and exfiltrate data, along with practical prevention and detection techniques. Meyer also addresses why moving to Azure AD doesn’t fully solve these problems, highlighting recovery challenges after breaches. If you manage or secure an enterprise directory, this book gives you a focused, realistic view of the evolving risks and defenses you need to understand.