Blazam vs Dovestones AD Reporting

Blazam is a free, open-source web interface for delegating Active Directory administration to non-IT staff. It manages users, groups, organizational units, computers, and printers, including account unlocks, password resets, group assignments, and attribute changes. Administrators can create reusable access levels for groups or individuals, with controls for individual attributes and actions. Rules can trigger Active Directory actions in response to events or on schedules, using filters, ordered processing, conditional stops, and expiration settings. Blazam also lists a REST API and webhook notifications, and offers MFA through Cisco DUO or Google Authenticator-compatible TOTP. Its documentation says passwords are encrypted at rest and in transit, connections support TLS/SSL, and the app is designed to run as an unprivileged account. Windows installation can use IIS or a standalone service; Linux installation supports Apache, nginx, or a standalone service. Blazam requires Active Directory and a domain-joined Windows host. A well-defined OU structure is needed for granular delegation, and the documentation advises against installing it on a Domain Controller. The free plan is free and is MIT licensed for personal and commercial use.

Dovestones AD Reporting automates Active Directory audits, scheduled reports, and account-management tasks on Windows. Its pre-built and custom reports cover users, passwords, computers, and groups, with detailed account status and ways to identify when users or computers were last used. It can also run one-off queries, such as finding computers that have not been used recently.

A built-in scheduler can run reports and bulk changes in the background. Available actions include moving, deleting, or disabling redundant accounts and removing users from sensitive groups. Reports can be emailed, printed, or exported, and the product supports command-line operation. The manual says installation requires no server components or agents and no changes to Active Directory, though installation adds a Windows service for scheduled jobs. Listed requirements are Microsoft .NET Framework 4.5 and Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2 or later. The product has a trial version, and support is listed by phone and email.