Linux authentication troubles? Try Active Directory

In a heterogeneous data center, administering access and managing identity can be time-consuming any way you slice it. With user data scattered within metadirectories or elsewhere in a company, creating single sign-on techniques for disparate data is vexing for many IT departments.
Further complicating things, solutions for Linux authentication in heterogeneous data centers are legion. Finding the right fit can be as difficult as managing the problem itself. And as system administrators weigh the options, a central question is, Do any of the alternatives trump Microsoft’s Active Directory (AD)?