iControl Access Control employs the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) for user authentication. LDAP is an application protocol for searching and editing directories.

A directory is a database containing similar “objects” organized hierarchically. An LDAP directory is similar to a telephone book, where entries consisting of names, addresses, and phone numbers are organized into higher level groups. In an LDAP directory, the topmost level corresponds to a domain (e.g. myCompany.com).