Benefits of active directory and windows server 2003

This feature allows Active Directory to adapt to special applications and to store additional information as needed. It also allows all of the various areas within an organization or even between them to share data easily based on the structure of Active Directory. Centralized data storage As mentioned earlier, all of the information within Active Directory resides within a single, yet distributed, data repository that allows users and systems administrators to easily access the information they need from wherever they may be within the company.

This is one of the biggest design goals of the directory service in the first place—to be able to provide a secure and centralized location for all of your data. The benefits of centralized data storage include reduced administration requirements, less duplication, higher availability, and increased visibility and organization of data. Replication If server performance and reliability were not concerns, it might make sense to store the entire Active Directory on a single server.

In the real world, however, accessibility of remote sites and cost constraints may require that the database be replicated throughout the network. Active Directory provides for this functionality. Through the use of replication technology, Active Directory's database can be distributed between many different servers in a network environment.

The ability to define sites allows systems and network administrators to limit the amount of traffic between remote sites while still ensuring adequate performance and usability. Reliable data synchronization allows for multimaster replication —that is, all domain controllers can update information stored within Active Directory and can ensure its consistency at the same time. Ease of administration In order to accommodate various business models, Active Directory can be configured for centralized or decentralized administration.

This gives network and systems administrators the ability to delegate authority and responsibilities throughout the organization while still maintaining security. Furthermore, the tools and utilities used to add, remove, and modify Active Directory objects are available with all Windows Server domain controllers.

They allow for making company-wide changes with just a few mouse clicks. Network security Through the use of a single logon and various authentication and encryption mechanisms, Active Directory can facilitate security throughout an entire enterprise. Through the process of delegation, higher-level security authorities can grant permissions to other administrators. Developers, DevOps, or cybersecurity? Which is the top tech talent employers are looking for now?

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Preferences Community Newsletters Log Out. Written by Brien M. Posey , Contributor. Brien M. Posey Contributor Full Bio. My Profile Log Out. Join Discussion for: The benefits of moving clients to an Active Add Your Comment. Please review our terms of service to complete your newsletter subscription. See All. To put this another way, the NT domain structure was designed to overcome the limitations of server-based operating systems, which it did in an admirable fashion.

The problem was that this domain model was designed with a "workgroup" philosophy. NT's domains were designed to represent the resources of small groups within a company, not the overall network resources.

Active Directory was designed, from the ground up, to support what Microsoft has labeled "enterprise environments. These free utilities have been approved by Microsoft, and will help to manage your domain by:.

With installations, 7 minutes of planning will save an hour for rework. The key to success is preparation. Whilst this section deals with the nuts and bolts of an installation, take care to design your Active Directory forest, for example, account naming strategy, top level OUs, group policies.

The physical structure of Active Directory is much like sites in Exchange. Firstly sites are completely independent of the Domain and Tree logical structure. Secondly sites are defined by the subnet that the servers are on. Thirdly you need to create and configure a site connector to join and synchronise Active Directory between different sites. When you have more than one domain controller there will be a delay of 15 seconds in changes reaching the other partners at the same site.

Reduced from 5 minutes in Windows The reasons for creating a second site would include, slow network links and the desire to control directory replication. The site connectors allow you to control the intervals between replication, the default is 3 hours.