Within the same organization, identity information can be stored in many different data systems, such as directories, databases, or formatted dump files. To manage identity information and synchronize it between these data systems, administrators sometimes have to spend a considerable amount of time and effort. On top of that, performing the data synchronization tasks manually is error-prone and can lead to the duplication of information and incompatibility of data formats.

With Synchronization Service, a component of Active Roles (formerly known as ActiveRoles^®), you can completely automate the process of identity data synchronization between the data systems used in your enterprise environment.

Synchronization Service increases the data management efficiency by allowing you to automate the creation, deprovision, and update operations between the data systems you use. For example, when an employee joins or leaves the organization, the related information in the data systems managed by Synchronization Service is automatically updated, thereby reducing your administrative workload and getting the new users up and running faster.

The use of scripting capabilities provides a flexible way to automate day-to-day administration tasks and integrate the administration of managed data systems with other business processes. By automating regular synchronization tasks, Synchronization Service allows administrators to concentrate on strategic issues, such as planning the directory, increasing enterprise security, and supporting business-critical applications.

In order to synchronize identity data between external data systems, you must connect Synchronization Service to these data systems through connectors. A connector enables Synchronization Service to access specific data system to read and synchronize data in that system according to your settings.

Out of the box, Synchronization Service includes a number of built-in connectors. The built-in connectors do not require any license file.