One of the majortasks of IT administrators is to manage their assets across enterprise networksefficiently. They need to keep a close check on user authorizations across thenetwork and manage permissions. As organizations grow, however, they expandtheir network, which also increases their threat surface. Misconfigurations orfailures in implementing authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA)policies often lead to data breaches and compliance lapses. Keeping track oforphaned accounts and countering privilege escalation attacks also becomeschallenging. In this complex and ever-evolving threat landscape, efficientmanagement of Active Directory (AD) is of primary importance.
What Is Active Directory?
Active Directoryhelps IT teams monitor various network objects, grant and revoke different userpermissions, and implement policies for smooth operations within a network. Forexample, an admin can create a group of users and allocate them specific accesspermissions to directories on the server. As the network grows, however, it canbecome difficult for admins to track users, login details, resource allocationdetails, and permissions. Active Directory is one of the most important ITinfrastructure tools, and it helps admins manage user provisioning processes,security, and audits and provides access to each user’s account from a singlelocation. With the help of Active Directory, users can be organized logicallyinto groups and subgroups to provide access control.
Active Directoryis a Microsoft product and runs on Windows Server operating systems. Itincludes several services to manage permissions and provides access toresources in a network.
In ActiveDirectory, data is stored as objects. An object can be understood as a singleelement, such as a user, group, application, or device. Objects can either beresources or security principals like users or groups. Every object has a nameand attributes. For example, a user’s name might be a combination of a namestring and information associated with the user.
The ActiveDirectory structure is comprised of three main components: domains, trees, andforests. Several objects, like users or devices that use the same AD database,can be grouped into a single domain. Domains have a domain name system (DNS)structure. Multiple domains can be combined to form a group known as a tree.The tree structure uses a contiguous namespace to arrange domains in a logicalhierarchy. Different domains in a tree share a secure connection and trust eachother in a hierarchy. This means the first domain can implicitly trust thethird domain in a hierarchy. A collection of multiple trees is called a forest.Admins can allocate specific access rights and communication privileges at alllevels. Moreover, a forest also includes directory schemas, shared catalogs,domain configurations, and application information. The global catalog serversprovide a list of all the objects in a forest, and the schema defines the classand attributes of an object in a forest. Organizational units (OUs) organizegroups, users, and devices. Every domain can contain its own OU.
Active Directory provides several services like Domain Services, Lightweight Directory Services, Certificate Services, Federation Services, and Rights Management Services. These services fall under Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). AD DS comes with Windows Server and is designed to manage client systems. AD DS can be considered the main service of Active Directory; it stores directory information and takes care of the interaction between the user and the domain. When a user tries to connect to a device, server, or resource over a network, AD DS checks the login credentials and access permissions given to the user. Other products like SharePoint Server and Exchange Server also depend on AD DS for resource access.
Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS)creates, shares, and manages certificates. These certificates enable users toexchange information over the internet securely.
Active Directory Lightweight DirectoryServices (AD LDS) has the same function as AD DS. AD LDS can store directorydata using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and run numerousinstances on a single server. The LDAP application protocol stores data relatedto objects in directory services, like usernames and passwords, and shares themacross the network.
Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) usesthe concept of single sign-on (SSO) to validate users, and it allows them toaccess multiple applications on different networks in a single session. WithSSO, users need to sign in only once for each service.
Active Directory Rights Management Services (ADRMS) protects confidential and discrete information from unauthorized access byencrypting the content on a server.
Active Directorycomes with Microsoft Server operating systems and offers a diverse set offeatures and services. Active Directory helps IT professionals allocate accessrights to new hires (account provisioning) and revoke access rights foremployees who are leaving the company (account de-provisioning). While ActiveDirectory Domain Services plays a vital role in organizations, it doesn’t nativelyprovide security against cybercrimes. If there’s suspicious activity, IT teamsneed to go through logs manually and spend time pinpointing areas in need ofrectification. This is because the integrated tools that come with ActiveDirectory may not be very effective or helpful at the enterprise level.
Active Directory management tools help overcome these issues. Fortunately, it’s easy to enhance the capabilities of the existing Active Directory suite with third-party software or tools. From automated alert systems to reporting capabilities, there are plenty of products available to fit your needs.
Companies needto understand their requirements and choose the best Active Directorymanagement tools for their needs. Moreover, the third-party software theychoose should work well with the existing digital environment and resolveissues related to cybersecurity and networking.
Active Directorymanagement (AD management) ensures Active Directory is working as required. ADmanagement is the process of managing and monitoring the operations of theActive Directory services found in Windows Server operating systems. ADmanagement is also a part of the network or server monitoring and managementprocesses.
Active Directorymonitoring can help automate Active Directory user provisioning processes,comply with regulations and audits, provide security, and grant access to users’accounts from a central location. Network administrators using AD and WindowsServer’s native administration and management features can perform this servicemanually. This process can also be performed using customized software designedto automate Active Directory monitoring.
Benefits of Implementing an ActiveDirectory Environment
A Better Representation of the Network
The Active Directorystructure provides a clear picture of the network. Active Directory allowsadmins to centrally manage users and authorizations, regardless of the size ofthe network. A centralized approach to management is one of the most importantreasons to implement Active Directory.
Single Sign-On Capability
Imagine a situation where a user has to memorizeseveral passwords and usernames for various servers. This situation can becomeeven more complicated, especially when the number of users increases. Tosimplify this, a domain controller can be added to the environment. The single sign-on(SSO) capability of the domain controller allows users to enter their usernamesand passwords on one server and access other servers without having to enterthese details again.
Efficient Managementof Trust Relationships
Active Directory allows the use of trustrelationships among various domains. This means that a two-way trustrelationship can exist between two entities. For example, if there is a two-waytrust relationship between two websites, the users can use the resources onboth sites with a single password and username.
Centralized Policy-Based Management
Centralized policy-based management is anotherbenefit of Active Directory. This feature helps manage and improve the securitysettings of workstations from a single point. This means admins can monitor,control, and manage the security settings of all the network resources from asingle point.
Improved Scalability WithOrganizational Units
Active Directory uses the conceptof organizational units (OUs) to improve scalability in large organizations. AnOU can be defined as a collection of users and computers. When companies havelarge domains, they can be organized into OUs. For example, a company has ahuge HR department and there is an admin managing the entire domain. Thecompany can create an OU named HR, and all the user accounts and computersrelated to HR can be moved to it. The admin who is responsible for this OU canbe given certain administrative rights limited to this OU.
Multi-Master Replication and Sites
The concept of multi-master replication and sites isanother amazing benefit of an Active Directory environment. Every domaincontroller contains a copy of Active Directory in an Active Directory multi-masterreplication environment. Whenever a change is made to Active Directory, theclosest domain controller will update accordingly. Other domain controllers inthe environment will also update themselves. This concept also applies tosites. Each site has its own domain controller, so when a user within a siteupdates the Active Directory, the changes are reflected in the domaincontroller within the site. The domain controller on the other side of the sitewill also update the changes at regular intervals.
How Does Active Directory Work?
When you begininstalling a Windows computer, all the systems are workgroups or standalonecomputers. There’s no domain present at this stage. Such an environmentincludes several systems, workstations, or servers with separate passwords andusernames.
With the help ofActive Directory, you can organize all the information related to users,systems, and devices in a single place. The information related to the ActiveDirectory, users, groups, and passwords is stored in an AD database known asthe NTDS.DIT file (NT Directory Services).
Initially, allthe systems are separate devices. To reap the benefits of Active Directory, theActive Directory Domain Services must be installed on a server. This servercontains the NTDS.DIT database file. Information about users, computeraccounts, user groups, and passwords will be stored in this database file.After the creation of the file, admins can create a domain controller. A domaincan have multiple domain controllers.
Active Directoryuses a security mechanism known as Kerberos. Once the user enters his or herlogin details, Kerberos grants a Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) to the userthrough a ticket-granting system. The user then presents this ticket to otherworkstations and servers throughout the same domain (or even on other domainswhere a trust relationship exists). The servers identify the ticket andunderstand it’s been issued by a trusted domain controller. Afterauthorization, the users get the permissions necessary to complete theirintended tasks.
Active Directory maintains consistency amongseveral domain controllers. It’s possible to have multiple domain controllersin an environment. Large organizations normally have multiple domaincontrollers, so admins must ensure all the domain controllers contain the sameinformation. To maintain consistency, Active Directory implementssynchronization mechanisms to ensure all domain controllers have consistentdata.
top 8 Best Active Directory Management Tools
- SolarWinds Access Rights Manager (ARM)
- Dameware Remote Everywhere
- Dameware Remote Support
- Anturis
- XIA Automation
- ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
- Z-Hire and Z-Term
1. SolarWinds Access Rights Manager (ARM)
SolarWinds® Access Rights Manager™ (ARM) allows admins to manage and audit Active Directory and keep track of user access across the IT infrastructure. This tool delivers customized Active Directory (AD) and Azure AD reports and shows which users have access to resources and when they access them. The tool also allows admins to set up automated report scheduling and deliver these reports directly to auditors to speed up assessment.
Using this tool, user permissions can be granted and revoked (also known as user provisioning and de-provisioning) in a matter of seconds. ARM also includes built-in features for monitoring cybersecurity threats. Other Active Directory management tools can complicate the process, but ARM is a preferred tool to reduce the workload of the IT team and help them securely delegate AD permission to data owners. SolarWinds ARM can help spot user accounts with insecure configurations and protect against theft and misuse of authorization and access.
2. Dameware Remote Everywhere
SolarWinds Dameware® Remote Everywhere (DRE) is a cloud-based remote support solution accessible from anywhere with a fast internet connection. This simple and lightweight tool is best for IT admins who want to provide remote support on issues related to AD. The robust reporting capability of this tool records session details, information about the performance of technicians, and end-user survey summaries. This tool’s main advantage is it shortens the time required to resolve issues and avoids long connections or software response times. It can also provide remote support to sleeping or powered-off systems. The tool is easy to use and install, and companies can register for a 14-day, risk-free trial version of DRE.
3. Dameware Remote Support
SolarWinds Dameware Remote Support is one of the top tools supporting remote IT tasks across various platforms like Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems. This tool allows admins to manage user accounts, manage permissions, and control Dameware environments from a single, central location. Information related to AD properties, system configuration, and software can be exported in different formats. With this tool, admins can unlock accounts, reset passwords, and change group policies from a single dashboard.
4. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM)
SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) is a comprehensive server and application monitoring tool that helps admins monitor Linux and Windows applications and environments across private, public, and hybrid cloud environments. This tool helps diagnose replication errors and gain deeper insights into the workings of various domain controller replications.
The SAM Active Directory monitoring solution helps you drill into each site and collect information like site link names, subnets, and IP ranges to quickly understand Active Directory issues and troubleshoot them remotely. SAM’s Active Directory auditing tool allows admins to keep track of login and password information. Admins can perform several IT tasks from a single, customizable web interface. Thus, SAM can greatly enhance Active Directory management.
5. Anturis
Anturis is a comprehensive tool and a complete cloud-based monitoring application solution. This tool offers several services to help take care of potential problems before they impact Active Directory. The tool provides information related to server sessions and shows the number of users that may be accessing the directory servers. This diagnostic service also takes care of performance trends. It sends timely alerts through email or SMS notifications whenever there is an error. Anturis also creates performance baselines for your directory servers and replicates the structure to tackle potential bottlenecks.
6. XIA Automation
XIA Automation is a great network task automation tool. It helps admins automate groups, AD user accounts, and organizational units. This tool offers many options to save IT teams’ time and effort. XIA Automation allows bulk provisioning of user accounts from comma-separated values (CSV) files to Office 365, AD, Google, and Exchange. Users can also reset passwords from their mobile devices. The tool creates several Microsoft Exchange accounts and mailboxes in a few minutes.
The platform gives users the liberty to create custom plugins to match specific AD management requirements. It’s also possible to access XIA Automation from your mobile devices and perform tasks when you’re traveling. Its user-friendly and intuitive web interface allows users to perform tasks on desktops or mobile devices. XIA Automation is packed with features and is used by several schools and other educational institutions to streamline Active Directory management.
7. ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Companies can conduct real-time auditing forActive Directory with ManageEngine’s ADAudit Plus tool. This toolprovides advanced auditing capabilities along with essentials for ADmanagement. Features like timely email alerts, predefined reports, and advancedtracking capabilities allow admins to keep track of changes in the network aroundthe clock. This tool offers the ability to tap insider threats and can check onthe activity of users in Windows Server environments. Companies can download afree edition of the tool capable of auditing 25 workstations.
8. Z-Hire and Z-Term
Introduced by Zohno, Z-Hire and Z-Term are two tools designed to speed up the processes of account creation and account termination, respectively. With Z-Hire, administrators can create user accounts for Exchange mailboxes. By simply clicking a button, admins can simultaneously create Lync accounts and Exchange mailboxes as well as Active Directory user and Salesforce user accounts. Z-hire can save time on account deployment. Z-Term works in the opposite way: it streamlines the process of employee termination. With Z-Term, all the important and necessary tasks required when a team member leaves a company can be performed automatically. The tool ensures former employees can no longer access the company’s resources after termination. The platform supports features like group deletion and resetting passwords, and it updates the group membership information.
Conclusion
Although Active Directory is a popular service, it’s not very efficient in terms of management and convenience. If we use third-party tools along with the AD administrative tool kit, we can extract a lot more from Active Directory and manage user access as well as account provisioning and de-provisioning tasks more effectively.
The most apt Active Directory management tool for your organization will depend on your needs, the size of your teams, and the structure of your network. Solutions like SolarWinds Access Rights Manager can help you manage the AD environment and meet your security requirements. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is also a comprehensive monitoring solution supporting Active Directory monitoring. You can evaluate these solutions with their free trials and implement them to simplify monitoring your AD servers.
