Active Directory (AD) is a directory service developed by Microsoft for Windows domain networks and designed to store, organize, and provide access to information related to users, computers, application services, and other network resources. It usually consists of a series of domain controllers that act as the central repository for user accounts and other objects that are used on the network. Active Directory stores all this data in a hierarchical database.
The idea behind Active Directory is to give administrators a single tool to manage their entire network—not just their PCs or servers, but also the users and data repositories they need access to. This allows them to set up permissions for various objects like files or printers on the network, as well as manage user identities across multiple computers.
Active Directory components can be split into three main parts: domain controllers, site topology thus makes it easier for organizations to logically partition sections of Active Directory based on geographical locations, organizational units (OUs) which define various containers within the Active Directory structure that allow administrators to separate users or groups for better management purposes; and trust relationships which grant permission between AD’s databases operated under different domains so users from one domain can access resources from another.
Any changes made in an organization’s Active Directory must be implemented uniformly across the entire enterprise, making it critical that all users are properly trained with how it works so they can best benefit from its features. Care should also be taken when entering, modifying or deleting data in ADC as any mistakes could affect future users who depend upon correct information being present within the service.
Overall, we can conclude that AD is an incredibly important part of many businesses and organizations today given its ability to improve security through centralized authentication while at the same time simplifying user management tasks by automating them through group policies. The introduction of active directory has changed how individuals interact with online computer systems since its inception in 1999, centralizing many previously disparate processes into one integrated package which ultimately helps companies become more productive than ever before!
