I'm fully aware of this ticket: https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CWD-1822

Given the clear user and administrator desire for this feature and the fact that the vast majority of companies DON'T use Google Apps and DO use Active Directory in some fashion even if it is in the cloud, it seems imperative that Atlassian re-evaluate its insistence that it won't support SAML natively outside of Google Apps.

Is there a rationale why you're doing this? Because I'm now tasked with finding a solution that cuts Atlassian out completely given your intransigence.