What is the primary purpose of Active Directory (AD)?

Active Directory (AD) is primarily designed as a directory service that utilizes LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) for account management and resource allocation within a networked environment. It allows organizations to manage user identities, authentication, and authorization centrally. This infrastructure supports the various needs of an organization by maintaining security and enabling efficient access to resources such as file shares, applications, and networked devices.

By acting as an LDAP-compliant server, Active Directory provides the tools necessary for administrators to organize and manage user accounts, groups, policies, and permissions, making it a critical component in enterprise IT management. This centralization of authority and user management enhances security and simplifies the administration of large networks.

On the other hand, the other options do not reflect the primary function of Active Directory. While it may support some integrations or features that relate to email or cloud solutions, those are not its main objectives. Active Directory does not primarily function to provide cloud storage, manage email systems, or support web hosting services; it serves specifically as a directory service for identity and access management within Windows domains.