Je ne see having Active Directory (AD) as adding complexity. Rather, Je vois it as making administration easier. Je vois le functionality that it enables in le client OS as being a major tool to allow for smooth future growth et replacement of computers.
From a cost perspective, there are très low cost versions of Windows Server (2012 R2 Essentials currently fills this niche) that bring a lot of nice tools to bear on small networks for pas a lot of money. For small environments you ne have to mess around w/ CALs, too.
Speaking about this in a "bigger picture" view, où Active Directory is juste part of a feature set that a dedicated server computer et server OS can provide, Je vois a lot of advantages.
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Active Directory gets you single-sign-on, Group Policy, et le ability to créez unuthorization schemes using Security Groups that will easily transcend employee turnover. In small businesses, in particular, a good permission strategy revolving around AD groups assigned to employee roles has enabled me to easily handle "Bob now does John's job" type situations (which seem to crop up more frequently in small businesses than large, d'après mon expérience) très easily.
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Having WSUS is great. Oh, boy, I like having WSUS.
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Did I mention Group Policy? Folder Redirection? Roaming user profiles? Oh, how I love stateless (or nearly so) client computers et le ease avec qui I can factory-reload a failed PC ou replace a computer. Having users able to logon to tout client PC et have basic functionality (client-side apps non-withstanding) turns "drop everything" emergencies into mundane service calls.
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I like having a "real" server to handle infrastructure protocols like DHCP et DNS (versus certains wonky toy "servers" built into a consumer-grade Wi-Fi router, etc).
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Security auditing is much, much easier in an environment où centralized authentication et authorization are present.
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Je suis a bit partial to le PC backup functionality in Windows Server 2012 Essentials for très small Customers où otherwise getting them to spring for a couple spare PCs to be used in a "hot desk" capacity in le event of PC failure is too much for them to spend. C'est kinda hokey, et I would prefer pas to backup anything on client computers at all, mais le time savings in small shops où client computer standardization is nonexistent is hard to argue.
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The business might get value out of autre bundled applications that le server could host like, say, SharePoint.
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Offering users remote access through Routing et Remote Acess Services ou Remote Desktop Gateway.
I like having an on-premise Windows Server avec Active Directory in environments où there are Windows client computers. It makes mon life easier et ends up costing mon Customer less money, in le long run, than trying to "herd cats" by managing a fleet of non-domain-joined PCs.
