Last week, we sang Happy Birthday to Active Directory, and now that the candles are blown out and the party has concluded, it’s back to reality -- a reality that still has us dealing with the challenges of securely and efficiently administering Active Directory. So, with RSA starting today and security on so many of our minds, I wanted to offer a few words of wisdom when it comes to dealing with some of the most pressing Active Directory Management challenges – security and efficiency.
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Protect critical data by reducing the number of people who have administrative access.
“I have too many administrators” is the most common concern we hear from organizations. To improve security and controls over your critical data, you need to reduce the number of people who can access it.
- The auditors have figured out that Active Directory is a lynchpin in Identity and Access Management and they want information.
When an auditor asks for a report of users in Active Directory with elevated privileges (if they haven’t yet, it’s only a matter of time until they ask), you need to be able to quickly produce a report that satisfies the request. The only way to really succeed at producing exactly what the auditor wants in a timely fashion is to develop a strategy for logging and securely storing Active Directory administrative activity.
- How can I get more done with the existing resources I have, particularly with no new headcount this year?
Shelved IT projects from 2009 are getting back on track, but many companies are not hiring additional resources to accomplish the major projects that are kicking off after a year of fiscal uncertainty. Look around, the folks you see are the ones who you’ll be working with to implement new projects while maintaining your existing responsibilities. You need a solution to automate day-to-day, routine tasks (i.e. user provisioning) in order to get it all done, the right way, the first time.
2010 is going to be a demanding year on multiple fronts. Regulations continue to develop and become more stringent, resources are still tight, but projects are moving forward. Take the steps listed above to address some of the most common Active Directory management challenges and reduce the pressure on your team and Active Directory. While this list may seem like three new projects to add to the list, it’s not. Rather, it’s a plan of attack to assure that you have less stress in 2011 and beyond!
Posted
Mar 01 2010, 01:31 PM
by
Erin Avery