Blackbird Management Suite Blackbird Group, Inc.

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "Blackbird Management Suite Blackbird Group, Inc. www.blackbird-group.com"

Transcription

1 PRODUCT ANALYSIS Blackbird Management Suite Blackbird Group, Inc. Analysis by Don Jones Senior Partner and Principal Technologist, Concentrated Technology This Product Analysis was commissioned by Blackbird Group, Inc.

2 Most businesses today realize that Microsoft Active Directory requires a little bit of help when it comes to automating management, providing compliance-grade auditing and reporting, and managing change in the directory. Unfortunately, most of the vendors in this space provide point solutions: One tool to audit changes, another tool to roll back changes, a third to add workflow and change control, and so forth. That s a less-than-perfect situation, because you typically have to install and maintain a variety of software agents on each domain controller, and have to learn the user interface for a half-dozen different tools. There s also a productivity burden. For example, using one tool to detect a change, then having to start up a second tool to locate a recent backup of the changed directory object, and finally restore that object to undo the change. Blackbird Group s Blackbird Management Suite seeks to consolidate those activities into a single, truly integrated toolset that operates within the familiar Microsoft Management Console (MMC), extending many of the native MMC snap-ins, including Active Directory Users and Computers, Sites and Services, ADSI Edit, and so forth. Blackbird organizes the functionality into modular functional areas. Businesses can choose to buy all five, which are licensed per-heartbeat (meaning you pay a license fee for each human being in your business), or they can choose to activate only a subset of the functionality. The option always exists to activate additional features as needed, providing a straightforward growth path. It s important to note that, unlike other vendor offerings that bundle standalone products into an integrated suite, these modules are actually all a part of the same solution, meaning they connect to one another quite seamlessly. Blackbird has recently added file system permissions management to Blackbird Management Suite (BBMS), and this analysis also includes that functionality. Active Directory Auditing A growing number of vendors are implementing auditing solutions that, rather than relying on Active Directory s native event logs, connect directly to internal AD application programming interfaces (APIs) to gather more detailed and granular information. Blackbird Management Suite is one such solution. A benefit of this approach is that you get what is effectively real-time auditing and alerting of changes, including information about who made the change, what was changed, when the change was made, and the before and after values of the change. Unlike other similar solutions, Blackbird s rollback mechanism is built right in: As you re reviewing a change, a rollback button lets you immediate undo it. If a change involved multiple values (editing several user attributes, for example), you can choose which ones to roll back.

3 Auditing can be accessed through straightforward search features, but significant integration into Microsoft s native tools can provide a better means of retrieving the information. For example, right-clicking a user in Active Directory Users and Computers offers a context menu option to retrieve the audit trail and change history for that object. You can even right-click a user to see an audit trail of every change they ve made - a powerful way to check up on trusted administrators or other individuals. Blackbird s auditing capabilities help to meet most major compliance requirements, including centralization of the audit log into a separate, secure database, as well as extensive reporting. Real-time alerts can also keep administrators or managers informed of critical changes, such as changes to administrative group memberships. In fact, the alerting mechanism is quite robust. Using a simple user interface, you can create alerts that look for specific types of activity, and send alerts to whomever you like.

4 Note that the rollback functionality does not rely on snapshot-style backups, as some other solutions do. Instead, Management Suite relies on its own database of tracked changes, meaning you can roll back changes that are made in between backups. Interestingly, even schema changes can be detected and rolled back, helping to protect against changes to default object permissions and other schema changes. Schema extensions, however, cannot be rolled back; Microsoft does not support removing schema extensions and is not likely to do so in the foreseeable future. Active Directory Reporting Simply having all of that auditing data in the database isn t enough, though; a solution must provide robust reporting. Ideally, the solution should provide built-in reports for the most important and common types of reports, including changes to critical built-in objects, as well as compliance-specific reports. Blackbird includes numerous built-in reports, including ones targeted to many of the major compliance efforts: HIPAA, SOX, GLB, and so on. You can, of course, also create custom reports and save them for future use. Active Directory Protection Once you start to gain visibility to the changes in your environment, you ll want to begin locking them down, and that s where the protection module comes into play. Using a simple, Outlook-style user interface, you can designate which objects you want to lock. Your lock can even extend to specific users and actions, such as don t allow members of the Domain Admins group to make changes to the user objects in this OU. You can also configure exception rules: These can make it easier to lock out

5 a broad portion of your company, while allowing a smaller, delegated group to retain control. For example, Don t allow anyone to do anything in this OU, except members of the Sales Administrators group. Protection rules can not only help prevent unwanted changes, especially to critical objects, but can also help to enforce your change control processes and mechanisms. Protection rules execute server-side, and while it s not impossible to bypass them, it would be fairly difficult. A Blackbird-designed agent taps directly into the AD APIs, and inserts itself directly into the AD event stack. It is thus able to preview all changes submitted to AD, whether through native tools, scripts, or even other thirdparty tools. If a change violates one of the protection rules, the agent aborts the change, typically returning an error message to the initiating client. The protection rules can therefore act as a kind of firewall for AD, going far above and beyond the simple accidental deletion protection offered natively. Interestingly, the robustness of the protection feature - combined with Management Suite s own internal security, which will be discussed shortly, can help address the forest as a security boundary issue that has led many organizations to create far more forests than can easily be managed. With Blackbird s toolset, these companies can consolidate their forests while retaining rigid security boundaries within the forest, eliminating in many respects the super-privileges of the Enterprise Admins group through the use of protection rules. Active Directory Recovery Management Suite also includes a traditional AD recovery toolset. You can compare individual directory objects to their backed-up versions, from any point in time, and restore them - or restore specific attributes. Again proving the value of tight integration between modules, Blackbird offers a unique twist on recovery: When comparing a live object to its backed-up version, you can easily obtain information on where a particular difference came from. For example, if a user s name was Jones yesterday, and Smith today, you ll see that difference in a backup

6 comparison - and be able to see who made the change, and when - by accessing the audit trail. If the change was made through Blackbird s workflow facility (which will be discussed shortly), you ll also see any comments entered by the reviewers who approved the change. The comparison functionality offers various comparison views, including a side-by-side view that makes it incredibly easy to visually process even complex object changes. The toolset includes a Recycle Bin metaphor that provides for simple, instant singleobject recovery, without the need to take a domain controller offline. Unlike the Recycle Bin feature in Windows Server 2008 R2, Blackbird s Recycle Bin actually offers a true graphical user interface for recovery, and can be used on domains that are not on the latest AD domain and forest functional levels.

7 Blackbird does not currently offer whole-forest recovery. This has been a muchhyped selling point for some vendors solutions, when in fact Microsoft claims to have seen fewer than a handful of whole-forest recoveries worldwide. Microsoft actually urges customers to engage Microsoft Consulting Services for whole-forest recoveries, and in some cases makes doing so a condition of continued product support. Blackbird s lack of whole-forest recovery is not seen as a negative point at this time. Perhaps the most important capability you can add to Active Directory is continuous recovery. Simply relying on point-in-time snapshot backups leaves far too much data at-risk at any given moment; by having a continuous backup, you can always revert the directory to a previous condition, whether it s to roll back a single object deletion or attribute change, or to recover entire sections of the directory. If your most recent backup is from last night, and you lose something midday, you re going to spend a lot of time and manual effort getting the directory back into a known good condition - something no business should be comfortable with. Because Blackbird s solution can restore objects from the audit log, you re assured of a continuously-protected directory.

8 Active Directory Management One of the most exciting features of Blackbird Management Suite is its flexible workflow engine. Using an Outlook mail rules user interface metaphor, you can easily designate activities that will require approval, such as deleting any user account, changing a particular organizational unit, and so forth. Once approval is required, you can completely customize the workflow process, adding as many approval steps as you like. Within each approval step, you indicate who may approve or deny the activity. You also indicate how many approvals are required for the task to proceed to the next step, and you can require approvers to leave comments when they approve or reject the change. When changes pass their final approval, you can indicate that they take place immediately, or that they be scheduled for change at a particular time - the perfect way to help enforce management framework rules and processes. When an approval is needed, the tool can send an notifying the reviewer to approve or reject the changes. An Outlook plug-in is provided to facilitate reviewing by users who do not have access to the management console, such as Human Resources users who may need to approve new user account creation, or user deletion. In its current implementation, the workflow is implemented entirely client-side. That means changes made outside the Management Suite - such as through a script - do not engage the workflow engine. In other words, the workflow is not quite as bulletproof as the protection feature in terms of stopping or controlling unwanted changes. This is another instance where tight integration sets this solution apart: Because all of this information is stored in a single database, someone later reviewing a change in the auditing section can not only choose to roll back the change, but they can also see the approval process that led to the change in the first place. This creates a sort

9 of integrated paper trail and change history, which becomes nearly effortless as you begin relying on the toolset to make changes. Related to the workflow facility is full support for business rules. Again, by specifying criteria that defines the type of object you want to affect, you can create rules that run scripts (say, in response to a new object creation), that enforce naming conventions (for user or group names, for example), and so forth. You can also create rules that generate alerts for specific directory actions. Again, these rules run client-side, rather than server-side, so they help to supplement the protection feature and provide enforcement for business processes. DNS, Group Policy Object Support Blackbird Management Suite also includes support for DNS and Group Policy objects. For DNS, you can track changes to individual records, roll back changes, and so forth, all from within a standard ADSI Edit snap-in that includes Blackbird extensions. You can even roll back deleted DNS zones, if needed. For Group Policy objects, Blackbird does not attempt to track individual changes to GPO settings as they are made - a task that is technically challenging, and can create information overload when administrators make numerous changes to a single GPO during one editing session. Instead, the tools detect changes, immediately pull a versioned backup of the GPO, and permit you to compare the different versions of the GPO. In this fashion you can obtain detailed reports of what has changed in a GPO over time. Again, this provides great support for change control and change management processes, as well as for auditing activities that support those processes.

10 File Systems Permissions Inventory and Reporting In its newest release, Blackbird Management Suite also includes the ability to inventory and report on file system entitlements, including historical permissions. The product uses the same collector model as with its Active Directory functionality; essentially, each collector is responsible for gathering information from a given server. You can choose to inventory an entire file server, or limit your data collection to just a specific path, or even a specific shared folder. If you have built your environment in such a way that sensitive data is located in specific places, this ability to inventory permissions on just those places is an effective way to reduce the amount of data you might otherwise have to wade through. Collection happens on a periodic basis, and the permissions information is centralized into the product s database. Because file and folder access control entries are actual Security Identifiers (SIDs), the privilege explorer component of Blackbird Management Suite also has the ability to inventory groups and users from one or more Active Directory domains. This has two benefits: First, it translates SIDs into actual user and group names. Second, it enables the product to expand nested group memberships for a more accurate picture of your file and folder permissions. The product s main functionality is organized into views, which you can create and modify. You can think of a view as a kind of interactive report. A view can be defined to only include: Permissions related to a single account or set of accounts (helping to answer the question, what does this person have access to? ) Specific kinds of permissions (as in, who has full control over any files on this server? ) Specific computers ( what permissions have been granted on this file server? ) Time range ( what permissions have been granted to this file in the past 90 days? ) The resulting view presents the file system as it has been inventoried by the collectors. For any given file or folder, the view shows: Which permissions have been inherited (and these can be hidden in favor of direct permissions only) Which permissions have changed since the last permissions inventory including the ability to right-click a changed permission and roll back the change to the prior state

11 Which effective permissions have changed because a group s membership has changed. In other words, if new users have access to a file because they were added to a group, but the file s actual permissions assignment was not changed, this is distinguishable through color-coded permissions lists. Through deep integration with the rest of the software suite, clicking on one of those added via group membership lines lets you see who made the change to a group s membership through AD auditing. From within the view, a given permission can also be compared to prior collected information so that you can see a change or delta report. The privilege explorer console essentially replaces Windows Explorer for security management on whatever files are being collected and managed. In other words, permissions can be easily removed or modified from within the privilege explorer interface, enabling administrators to work within a single console. Views are organized into nodes, or folders, which can have their own permissions applied. This enables effective separation of duties, as you can delegate permissions over a specific set of files and folders to whomever you like. Privilege explorer also supports more traditional snapshot reports by means of SQL Server Reporting Services, providing designated users with Web-based access to numerous built-in and custom reports. Integrated Security Blackbird Management Suite includes its own security layer, which enables you to very granularly determine who can do what within the tool. It uses a folder-based permissions metaphor that is essentially the same as Active Directory s own, and

12 supports permissions inheritance and all the other elements you would expect. This is actually a somewhat unusual feature. While many solutions support role-based administration, not many provide this detailed a level of security configuration. Truly, Tightly Integrated All of this functionality is provided by a single agent that is installed on your domain controllers, and supported by a single back-end database. That s a significant distinction from other products in this space, which are often billed as integrated but in fact require discrete agents, separate databases, and so forth. That separation often means the functional integration isn t as tight as it should be; in fact, that separation is often the result of external product acquisitions rather than a single development effort. Blackbird s tight integration into the native tools is remarkable: After a very short while, you feel as if the functionality is simply built into the Microsoft consoles, rather than being provided by a third-party. About Blackbird Group, Inc. Blackbird Group has focused on identity and access management solutions since The company is privately-held, and is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. They have licensed more than seven million seats worldwide to date, and are headquartered in Manhattan, New York, with offices throughout Europe. For more information, visit About Concentrated Technology, LLC Concentrated Technology was founded by IT industry experts Don Jones and Greg Shields to provide concise, accurate education in business technology topics. The company writes to a range of audiences from the C-level to the trenches, with a focus on practical technology solutions for today s business challenges. For more information, visit

Best Practices for Auditing Changes in Active Directory WHITE PAPER

Best Practices for Auditing Changes in Active Directory WHITE PAPER Best Practices for Auditing Changes in Active Directory WHITE PAPER Table of Contents Executive Summary... 3 Needs for Auditing and Recovery in Active Directory... 4 Tracking of Changes... 4 Entitlement

More information

How to Audit the 5 Most Important Active Directory Changes

How to Audit the 5 Most Important Active Directory Changes How to Audit the 5 Most Important Active Directory Changes www.netwrix.com Toll-free: 888.638.9749 Table of Contents Introduction #1 Group Membership Changes #2 Group Policy Changes #3 AD Permission Changes

More information

When the Active Directory Recycling Bin Isn t Enough

When the Active Directory Recycling Bin Isn t Enough When the Active Directory Recycling Bin Isn t Enough Don Jones 1. 8 0 0. 8 1 3. 6 4 1 5 w w w. s c r i p t l o g i c. c o m / s m b I T 2011 ScriptLogic Corporation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ScriptLogic, the

More information

WHITE PAPER. Take Back Control of Your Active Directory Auditing

WHITE PAPER. Take Back Control of Your Active Directory Auditing WHITE PAPER Take Back Control of Your Active Directory Auditing Table of Contents An Intro to Active Directory 3 Needs for Auditing and Reporting in Today s Active Directory Environment 3 Up Time 3 Speed

More information

5 Group Policy Management Capabilities You re Missing

5 Group Policy Management Capabilities You re Missing 5 Group Policy Management Capabilities You re Missing Don Jones 1. 8 0 0. 8 1 3. 6 4 1 5 w w w. s c r i p t l o g i c. c o m / s m b I T 2011 ScriptLogic Corporation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ScriptLogic, the

More information

MS-6425C - Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

MS-6425C - Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services MS-6425C - Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Table of Contents Introduction Audience At Clinic Completion Prerequisites Microsoft Certified Professional Exams Student Materials

More information

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course Number: 6425C Course Length: 5 Days Course Overview This five-day course provides in-depth training on implementing,

More information

Active Directory Change Notifier Quick Start Guide

Active Directory Change Notifier Quick Start Guide Active Directory Change Notifier Quick Start Guide Software version 3.0 Mar 2014 Copyright 2014 CionSystems Inc., All Rights Reserved Page 1 2014 CionSystems Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This guide may not

More information

10 Things IT Should be Doing (But Isn t)

10 Things IT Should be Doing (But Isn t) Contents Overview...1 Top Ten Things IT Should be Doing...2 Audit Data Access... 2 Inventory Permissions and Directory Services Group Objects... 2 Prioritize Which Data Should Be Addressed... 2 Remove

More information

NE-6425C Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

NE-6425C Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services NE-6425C Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Domain Services Summary Duration Vendor Audience 5 Days Microsoft IT Professionals Published Level Technology 02 June 2011 200 Windows

More information

6425C - Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory Domain Services

6425C - Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory Domain Services Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Introduction This five-day instructor-led course provides in-depth training on configuring Active Directory Domain Services

More information

Installing, Configuring, and Managing a Microsoft Active Directory

Installing, Configuring, and Managing a Microsoft Active Directory Installing, Configuring, and Managing a Microsoft Active Directory Course Outline Part 1: Configuring and Managing Active Directory Domain Services Installing Active Directory Domain Services Managing

More information

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows 2008 Active Directory Domain Services About this Course Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows This five-day instructor-led course provides in-depth training on implementing, configuring, managing and troubleshooting Active Directory Domain

More information

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Active Directory About this Course This five-day instructor-led course provides in-depth training on implementing, configuring, managing and troubleshooting (AD DS) in and R2 environments. It covers core

More information

NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter

NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter Version 2.2 Enterprise Edition Quick Start Guide Contents NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter Enterprise Edition Quick Start Guide 1. INTRODUCTION... 3 1.1 KEY FEATURES...

More information

Restructuring Active Directory Domains Within a Forest

Restructuring Active Directory Domains Within a Forest C H A P T E R 1 2 Restructuring Active Directory Domains Within a Forest Restructuring Active Directory directory service domains within a forest with the goal of reducing the number of domains allows

More information

Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services www.etidaho.com (208) 327-0768 Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services 5 Days About this Course This five-day instructor-led course provides in-depth

More information

ExecuTrain Course Outline Configuring & Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services MOC 6425C 5 Days

ExecuTrain Course Outline Configuring & Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services MOC 6425C 5 Days ExecuTrain Course Outline Configuring & Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services MOC 6425C 5 Days Introduction This five-day instructor-led course provides in-depth training

More information

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course Code: M6425 Vendor: Microsoft Course Overview Duration: 5 RRP: 2,025 Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Overview This five-day instructor-led course

More information

SolutionScope. Active Directory Change Auditing

SolutionScope. Active Directory Change Auditing Active Directory Change Auditing Executive Overview Change auditing has become an important activity in business networks using Microsoft Active Directory. In general, Active Directory s native auditing

More information

Windows IT Pro August 21, 2011 12:00 AM

Windows IT Pro August 21, 2011 12:00 AM Windows IT Pro August 21, 2011 12:00 AM Comparative Review: Active Directory Auditing Tools Tools to track down security threats and prove regulatory compliance Eric B. Rux Windows IT Pro InstantDoc ID

More information

Resolving Active Directory Backup and Recovery Requirements with Quest Software

Resolving Active Directory Backup and Recovery Requirements with Quest Software Resolving Active Directory Backup and Recovery Requirements with Quest Software By Mike Danseglio Sponsored by Table of Contents Backing Up Effectively... 1 Identifying an Incident... 2 Recovering from

More information

Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Length: 5 Days Published: June 02, 2011 Language(s): English Audience(s): IT Professionals Level: 200

More information

JIJI AUDIT REPORTER FEATURES

JIJI AUDIT REPORTER FEATURES JIJI AUDIT REPORTER FEATURES JiJi AuditReporter is a web based auditing solution for live monitoring of the enterprise changes and for generating audit reports on each and every event occurring in the

More information

Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Five Days, Instructor-Led About this course This five-day instructor-led course provides in-depth training

More information

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course 6425B: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Length: 5 Days Language(s): English Audience(s): IT Professionals Level: 200 Technology: Windows Server

More information

Course 6425B: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Course 6425B: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course 6425B: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services About this Course This five-day instructor-led course provides to teach Active Directory Technology Specialists

More information

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course Details Course Outline Module 1: Introducing Active Directory Domain Services This module provides

More information

Step-by-Step Guide for Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management 4.0

Step-by-Step Guide for Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management 4.0 Step-by-Step Guide for Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management 4.0 Microsoft Corporation Published: September 2009 Abstract This step-by-step guide describes a sample scenario for installing Microsoft

More information

The Definitive Guide. Active Directory Troubleshooting, Auditing, and Best Practices. 2011 Edition Don Jones

The Definitive Guide. Active Directory Troubleshooting, Auditing, and Best Practices. 2011 Edition Don Jones The Definitive Guide tm To Active Directory Troubleshooting, Auditing, and Best Practices 2011 Edition Don Jones Ch apter 5: Active Directory Auditing... 63 Goals of Native Auditing... 63 Native Auditing

More information

How to Configure Microsoft System Operation Manager to Monitor Active Directory, Group Policy and Exchange Changes Using NetWrix Active Directory

How to Configure Microsoft System Operation Manager to Monitor Active Directory, Group Policy and Exchange Changes Using NetWrix Active Directory How to Configure Microsoft System Operation Manager to Monitor Active Directory, Group Policy and Exchange Changes Using NetWrix Active Directory Change Reporter Table of Contents General Information...

More information

Netwrix Auditor. Administrator's Guide. Version: 7.1 10/30/2015

Netwrix Auditor. Administrator's Guide. Version: 7.1 10/30/2015 Netwrix Auditor Administrator's Guide Version: 7.1 10/30/2015 Legal Notice The information in this publication is furnished for information use only, and does not constitute a commitment from Netwrix Corporation

More information

6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services 6425C: Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course Details Course Code: Duration: Notes: 6425C 5 days This course syllabus should be used to determine whether

More information

Windows Server 2008: www.netpro.com. What s New in Active Directory Auditing and Recovery. Your IT infrastructure. Simplified.

Windows Server 2008: www.netpro.com. What s New in Active Directory Auditing and Recovery. Your IT infrastructure. Simplified. What s New in Active Directory Auditing and Recovery www.netpro.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Windows Server 2008: What s New in Active Directory Auditing and Recovery Active Directory Auditing 3 What s New in

More information

6.7. Administrator Guide

6.7. Administrator Guide 6.7 Administrator Guide 2010 Quest Software, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described in this guide is furnished under a software

More information

What s New Guide. Active Administrator 6.0

What s New Guide. Active Administrator 6.0 What s New Guide Active Administrator 6.0 2011 ScriptLogic Corporation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ScriptLogic, the ScriptLogic logo and Point,Click,Done! are trademarks and registered trademarks of ScriptLogic

More information

7 Tips for Achieving Active Directory Compliance. By Darren Mar-Elia

7 Tips for Achieving Active Directory Compliance. By Darren Mar-Elia 7 Tips for Achieving Active Directory Compliance By Darren Mar-Elia Contents 7 Tips for Achieving Active Directory Compliance...2 Introduction...2 The Ups and Downs of Native AD Auditing...2 The Ups!...3

More information

White Paper. Better Together: Auditing with Microsoft Audit Collection Services (ACS) and Quest Software

White Paper. Better Together: Auditing with Microsoft Audit Collection Services (ACS) and Quest Software Better Together: Auditing with Microsoft Audit Collection Services (ACS) and Quest Software Written by Tom Crane, Product Manager, Quest Software, Inc. Edited by James Galvin, Microsoft Sr. Product Manager,

More information

How to best protect Active Directory in your organization. Alistair Holmes. Senior Systems Consultant

How to best protect Active Directory in your organization. Alistair Holmes. Senior Systems Consultant How to best protect Active Directory in your organization Alistair Holmes. Senior Systems Consultant So where do we start? Lets break it down Security Management 2 Security concerns with Active Directory

More information

Ensuring business continuity after Active Directory disasters

Ensuring business continuity after Active Directory disasters www.lepide.com Ensuring business continuity after Active Directory disasters Whitepaper 2013 Introduction Active Directory is the distributed directory system that contains identification and authentication

More information

Group Policy for Beginners

Group Policy for Beginners Group Policy for Beginners Microsoft Corporation Published: April 2011 Abstract Group Policy is the essential way that most organizations enforce settings on their computers. This white paper introduces

More information

NetWrix File Server Change Reporter. Quick Start Guide

NetWrix File Server Change Reporter. Quick Start Guide NetWrix File Server Change Reporter Quick Start Guide Introduction... 3 Product Features... 3 Licensing... 3 How It Works... 4 Getting Started... 5 System Requirements... 5 Setup... 5 Additional Considerations...

More information

NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter

NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter Version 2.2 Administrator Guide Contents NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter Administrator Guide 1. INTRODUCTION... 3 1.1 KEY FEATURES... 3 1.2 LICENSING... 4 1.3 HOW

More information

Ultimus and Microsoft Active Directory

Ultimus and Microsoft Active Directory Ultimus and Microsoft Active Directory May 2004 Ultimus, Incorporated 15200 Weston Parkway, Suite 106 Cary, North Carolina 27513 Phone: (919) 678-0900 Fax: (919) 678-0901 E-mail: documents@ultimus.com

More information

Believe it or not, you ve already been working with Active Directory! If

Believe it or not, you ve already been working with Active Directory! If Chapter 12 Active Directory, Part II In This Chapter Actively managing the Active Directory Understanding the difference between Active Directory planning and practical uses of Active Directory Optimizing

More information

Course 6425C: Five days

Course 6425C: Five days CÔNG TY CỔ PHẦN TRƯỜNG CNTT TÂN ĐỨC TAN DUC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL JSC LEARN MORE WITH LESS! Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course 6425C: Five

More information

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain MOC 6425

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain MOC 6425 Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain MOC 6425 Course Outline Module 1: Introducing Active Directory Domain Services This module provides an overview of Active Directory

More information

ShareSync from LR Associates Inc. A business-grade file sync and share service that meets the needs of BOTH users and administrators.

ShareSync from LR Associates Inc. A business-grade file sync and share service that meets the needs of BOTH users and administrators. ShareSync from LR Associates Inc. A business-grade file sync and share service that meets the needs of BOTH users and administrators. Overview of ShareSync Easy, intuitive sharing and syncing ShareSync

More information

Reports, Features and benefits of ManageEngine ADAudit Plus

Reports, Features and benefits of ManageEngine ADAudit Plus Reports, Features and benefits of ManageEngine ADAudit Plus ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is a web based Active Directory change audit software. It provides comprehensive reports on almost every change that

More information

VMware and Microsoft VSS: What You Need to Know

VMware and Microsoft VSS: What You Need to Know Commissioned by VMware and Microsoft VSS: What You Need to Know A Concentrated Technology SolutionSpace Analysis Greg Shields white paper / page 1 Introduction When it comes to Microsoft VSS, there s more

More information

Implementing HIPAA Compliance with ScriptLogic

Implementing HIPAA Compliance with ScriptLogic Implementing HIPAA Compliance with ScriptLogic A ScriptLogic Product Positioning Paper By Nick Cavalancia 1.800.424.9411 www.scriptlogic.com Table of Contents INTRODUCTION... 3 HIPAA BACKGROUND... 3 ADMINISTRATIVE

More information

Chapter. Managing Group Policy MICROSOFT EXAM OBJECTIVES COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER:

Chapter. Managing Group Policy MICROSOFT EXAM OBJECTIVES COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER: Chapter 10 Managing Group Policy MICROSOFT EXAM OBJECTIVES COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER: Implement and troubleshoot Group Policy. Create a Group Policy object (GPO). Link an existing GPO. Delegate administrative

More information

What s New Guide: Version 5.6

What s New Guide: Version 5.6 What s New Guide: Version 5.6 A QUEST SOFTWARE COMPANY 1. 8 0 0. 4 2 4. 9 4 1 1 w w w. s c r i p t l o g i c. c o m WHAT S NEW IN ACTIVE ADMINISTRATOR 5.6? Contents...3 Active Administrator Product Overview...3

More information

Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment

Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment Course 2273: Five days; Blended (classroom/e-learning) Introduction Elements of this syllabus are subject to change. This course combines

More information

Netwrix Auditor. Сomplete visibility into who changed what, when and where and who has access to what across the entire IT infrastructure

Netwrix Auditor. Сomplete visibility into who changed what, when and where and who has access to what across the entire IT infrastructure Netwrix Auditor Сomplete visibility into who changed what, when and where and who has access to what across the entire IT infrastructure netwrix.com netwrix.com/social 01 Product Overview Netwrix Auditor

More information

Create, Link, or Edit a GPO with Active Directory Users and Computers

Create, Link, or Edit a GPO with Active Directory Users and Computers How to Edit Local Computer Policy Settings To edit the local computer policy settings, you must be a local computer administrator or a member of the Domain Admins or Enterprise Admins groups. 1. Add the

More information

Outline SSS6425 - Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory

Outline SSS6425 - Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Outline SSS6425 - Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Duration: Four consecutive Saturdays About this Course This instructor-led course provides the knowledge and skills

More information

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services

Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Configuring and Troubleshooting Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Domain Services Course Number: 6425B Course Length: 5 Days Course Overview This five-day course provides to teach Active Directory Technology

More information

Creating and Managing Shared Folders

Creating and Managing Shared Folders Creating and Managing Shared Folders Microsoft threw all sorts of new services, features, and functions into Windows 2000 Server, but at the heart of it all was still the requirement to be a good file

More information

PLANNING AND DESIGNING GROUP POLICY, PART 1

PLANNING AND DESIGNING GROUP POLICY, PART 1 84-02-06 DATA SECURITY MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND DESIGNING GROUP POLICY, PART 1 Melissa Yon INSIDE What Is Group Policy?; Software Settings; Windows Settings; Administrative Templates; Requirements for Group

More information

RecoveryManager Plus

RecoveryManager Plus Advantages of over Advantages of over Regular backing up of changes made to data in Microsoft Active Directory is an important exercise that each organization must follow. Changes made to Active Directory

More information

Exchange Mailbox Protection Whitepaper

Exchange Mailbox Protection Whitepaper Exchange Mailbox Protection Contents 1. Introduction... 2 Documentation... 2 Licensing... 2 Exchange add-on comparison... 2 Advantages and disadvantages of the different PST formats... 3 2. How Exchange

More information

NETWRIX FILE SERVER CHANGE REPORTER

NETWRIX FILE SERVER CHANGE REPORTER NETWRIX FILE SERVER CHANGE REPORTER ADMINISTRATOR S GUIDE Product Version: 3.3 April/2012. Legal Notice The information in this publication is furnished for information use only, and does not constitute

More information

Outpost Network Security

Outpost Network Security Administrator Guide Reference Outpost Network Security Office Firewall Software from Agnitum Abstract This document provides information on deploying Outpost Network Security in a corporate network. It

More information

Administrator s Guide

Administrator s Guide MAPILab Disclaimers for Exchange Administrator s Guide document version 1.8 MAPILab, December 2015 Table of contents Intro... 3 1. Product Overview... 4 2. Product Architecture and Basic Concepts... 4

More information

efolder White Paper: Dedicated File Backup vs. File Sync Backup: 5 Questions MSPs Should Ask to Determine the Best Backup Solution for Their Clients

efolder White Paper: Dedicated File Backup vs. File Sync Backup: 5 Questions MSPs Should Ask to Determine the Best Backup Solution for Their Clients efolder White Paper: Dedicated File Backup vs. File Sync Backup: 5 Questions MSPs Should Ask to Determine the Best Backup Solution for Their Clients Apri 2015 Introduction One of the most important services

More information

WhatsUp Gold v16.3 Installation and Configuration Guide

WhatsUp Gold v16.3 Installation and Configuration Guide WhatsUp Gold v16.3 Installation and Configuration Guide Contents Installing and Configuring WhatsUp Gold using WhatsUp Setup Installation Overview... 1 Overview... 1 Security considerations... 2 Standard

More information

Admin Report Kit for Active Directory

Admin Report Kit for Active Directory Admin Report Kit for Active Directory Reporting tool for Microsoft Active Directory Enterprise Product Overview Admin Report Kit for Active Directory (ARKAD) is a powerful reporting solution for the Microsoft

More information

Manufacturer to Enhance Efficiency with Improved Identity Management

Manufacturer to Enhance Efficiency with Improved Identity Management Microsoft Forefront: Security Products for Business Customer Solution Case Study Manufacturer to Enhance Efficiency with Improved Identity Management Overview Country or Region: United States Industry:

More information

NE-2273B Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment

NE-2273B Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment NE-2273B Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment Summary Duration Vendor Audience 5 Days Microsoft IT Professionals Published Level Technology 05 October 2005 200 Microsoft

More information

Tool Tip. SyAM Management Utilities and Non-Admin Domain Users

Tool Tip. SyAM Management Utilities and Non-Admin Domain Users SyAM Management Utilities and Non-Admin Domain Users Some features of SyAM Management Utilities, including Client Deployment and Third Party Software Deployment, require authentication credentials with

More information

ADMT v3.1 Guide: Migrating and Restructuring Active Directory Domains

ADMT v3.1 Guide: Migrating and Restructuring Active Directory Domains ADMT v3.1 Guide: Migrating and Restructuring Active Directory Domains Microsoft Corporation Published: July 2008 Authors: Moon Majumdar, Brad Mahugh Editors: Jim Becker, Fran Tooke Abstract This guide

More information

Active Directory. Users & Computers. Group Policies

Active Directory. Users & Computers. Group Policies Active Directory Users & Computers Policies Users & Computers domains domain trusted domains, trusting domains subdomains tree of domains forest of trees s s in Active Directory are directory objects that

More information

Quest InTrust. Change auditing and policy compliance for the secure enterprise. May 2008. Copyright 2006 Quest Software

Quest InTrust. Change auditing and policy compliance for the secure enterprise. May 2008. Copyright 2006 Quest Software Quest InTrust Change auditing and policy compliance for the secure enterprise May 2008 Copyright 2006 Quest Software Quest is the Thought Leader in Active Directory Named Microsoft Global ISV Partner of

More information

70-640 R4: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory

70-640 R4: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory 70-640 R4: Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Course Introduction Course Introduction Chapter 01 - Installing the Active Directory Role Lesson: What is IDA? What is Active Directory Identity

More information

How to monitor AD security with MOM

How to monitor AD security with MOM How to monitor AD security with MOM A article about monitor Active Directory security with Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 Anders Bengtsson, MCSE http://www.momresources.org November 2006 (1) Table of

More information

The Recipe for Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance using Microsoft s SharePoint 2010 platform

The Recipe for Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance using Microsoft s SharePoint 2010 platform The Recipe for Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance using Microsoft s SharePoint 2010 platform Technical Discussion David Churchill CEO DraftPoint Inc. The information contained in this document represents the current

More information

Reports, Features and benefits of ManageEngine ADAudit Plus

Reports, Features and benefits of ManageEngine ADAudit Plus Reports, Features and benefits of ManageEngine ADAudit Plus ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is a web based Active Directory change audit software. It provides comprehensive reports on almost every change that

More information

NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter. Quick Start Guide

NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter. Quick Start Guide NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter Quick Start Guide NetWrix SQL Server Change Reporter Quick Start Guide Contents Introduction...3 Product Features...3 Licensing...4 How It Works...5 Getting Started...6

More information

Get Started Guide for Admins

Get Started Guide for Admins Get Started Guide for Admins This Admin Guide will provide instructions for getting started with SecuriSync, provide tips for setting up your SecuriSync environment, and overview the superior management

More information

These guidelines can dramatically improve logon and startup performance.

These guidelines can dramatically improve logon and startup performance. Managing Users with Local Security and Group Policies 573. Disable user or computer settings in GPOs Each GPO consists of a user and a computer section. If there are no settings in either of those sections,

More information

CHAPTER THREE. Managing Groups

CHAPTER THREE. Managing Groups 3 CHAPTER THREE Managing Groups Objectives This chapter covers the following Microsoft-specified objectives for the Managing Users, Computers, and Groups section of the Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft

More information

Active Directory Auditing The Need and Result

Active Directory Auditing The Need and Result Jai hanumaan www.lepide.com Active Directory Auditing The Need and Result Whitepaper 2013 What are IT Audits? Increasing number of cases of malpractices and lackadaisical approach towards handling sensitive

More information

NetIQ Group Policy Administrator User Guide

NetIQ Group Policy Administrator User Guide NetIQ Group Policy Administrator User Guide October 2014 www.netiq.com/documentation Legal Notice THIS DOCUMENT AND THE SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN THIS DOCUMENT ARE FURNISHED UNDER AND ARE SUBJECT TO THE TERMS

More information

Dell Active Administrator 7.5. Install Guide

Dell Active Administrator 7.5. Install Guide Dell Active Administrator 7.5 2015 Dell Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described in this guide is furnished under a software

More information

Troubleshooting Active Directory Server

Troubleshooting Active Directory Server Proven Practice Troubleshooting Active Directory Server Product(s): IBM Cognos Series 7 Area of Interest: Security Troubleshooting Active Directory Server 2 Copyright Copyright 2008 Cognos ULC (formerly

More information

Administration GUIDE. SharePoint Server idataagent. Published On: 11/19/2013 V10 Service Pack 4A Page 1 of 201

Administration GUIDE. SharePoint Server idataagent. Published On: 11/19/2013 V10 Service Pack 4A Page 1 of 201 Administration GUIDE SharePoint Server idataagent Published On: 11/19/2013 V10 Service Pack 4A Page 1 of 201 Getting Started - SharePoint Server idataagent Overview Deployment Configuration Decision Table

More information

Librarian. Integrating Secure Workflow and Revision Control into Your Production Environment WHITE PAPER

Librarian. Integrating Secure Workflow and Revision Control into Your Production Environment WHITE PAPER Librarian Integrating Secure Workflow and Revision Control into Your Production Environment WHITE PAPER Contents Overview 3 File Storage and Management 4 The Library 4 Folders, Files and File History 4

More information

250-310. Administration of Symantec Enterprise Vault 10.0 for Exchange. Version: Demo. Page <<1/12>>

250-310. Administration of Symantec Enterprise Vault 10.0 for Exchange. Version: Demo. Page <<1/12>> 250-310 Administration of Symantec Enterprise Vault 10.0 for Exchange Version: Demo Page 1.Enterprise Vault converts mail message attachments to text or HTML. What is a benefit of changing the

More information

CC4 TEN: Pre-installation instructions for Windows Server networks

CC4 TEN: Pre-installation instructions for Windows Server networks CC4 TEN: Pre-installation instructions for Windows Server networks Contents Introduction to CC4 TEN... 1 How the transition works... 3 Your pre-installation tasks... 5 Back up your servers... 5 Ensure

More information

Challenges of Managing Privileged Access on Windows and Servers

Challenges of Managing Privileged Access on Windows and Servers WHITE PAPER Challenges of Managing Privileged Access on Windows and Servers by Darren Mar-Elia Microsoft Group Policy MVP and Founder of gpoguy.com & sdmsoftware.com Table of Contents Overview 3 What is

More information

Microsoft Virtual Labs. Active Directory New User Interface

Microsoft Virtual Labs. Active Directory New User Interface Microsoft Virtual Labs Active Directory New User Interface 2 Active Directory New User Interface Table of Contents Active Directory New User Interface... 3 Exercise 1 User Management and Saved Queries...4

More information

WhatsUp Gold v16.2 Installation and Configuration Guide

WhatsUp Gold v16.2 Installation and Configuration Guide WhatsUp Gold v16.2 Installation and Configuration Guide Contents Installing and Configuring Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold v16.2 using WhatsUp Setup Installing WhatsUp Gold using WhatsUp Setup... 1 Security guidelines

More information

The Change Auditing System

The Change Auditing System Active Directory Change Auditing in the Enterprise www.netwrix.com Toll-free: 888.638.9749 Table of Contents 1. What Is Change Auditing? 2. What Is Change Auditing Important? 2.1 Change Auditing: A Real-World

More information

5 Challenges in Active Directory Management and How to Manage Them

5 Challenges in Active Directory Management and How to Manage Them 5 Challenges in Active Directory Management and How to Manage Them Presented by: Zubair Alexander Microsoft MVP Directory Services Microsoft Certified Trainer Active Directory General Limitations Password

More information

Administering Active Directory. Administering Active Directory. Reading. Review: Organizational Units. Review: Domains. Review: Domain Trees

Administering Active Directory. Administering Active Directory. Reading. Review: Organizational Units. Review: Domains. Review: Domain Trees Reading Read over the Active Directory material in your Network+ Guide I will be providing important materials Administering Active Directory If you don t understand certain concepts, please ask for help!

More information

Quest ChangeAuditor 5.1 FOR ACTIVE DIRECTORY. User Guide

Quest ChangeAuditor 5.1 FOR ACTIVE DIRECTORY. User Guide Quest ChangeAuditor FOR ACTIVE DIRECTORY 5.1 User Guide Copyright Quest Software, Inc. 2010. All rights reserved. This guide contains proprietary information protected by copyright. The software described

More information

Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide

Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide Configuring and Maintaining Vector HelpDesk version 5.6 Vector HelpDesk - Administrator s Guide Copyright Vector Networks

More information

SAS 9.4 Management Console

SAS 9.4 Management Console SAS 9.4 Management Console Guide to Users and Permissions SAS Documentation The correct bibliographic citation for this manual is as follows: SAS Institute Inc 2015. SAS 9.4 Management Console: Guide to

More information