Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), formerly known as Active Directory Services, is the central location for configuration information, authentication requests, and information about all of the objects that are stored within your forest. Using Active Directory, you can efficiently manage users, computers, groups, printers, applications, and other directory-enabled objects from one secure, centralized location.
In distributed computing environments, networked computers and other devices communicate over remote connections to accomplish tasks through client/server applications. Distributed environments require a central repository of information and integrated services that provide the means to manage network users, services, devices, and additional information that administrators want to store.
Organizations operating a distributed environment need to have a way to manage network resources and services. As the organization grows, the need for a secure and centralized management system becomes more critical.
A directory service provides a centralized location to store information in a distributed environment about networked devices and services and the people who use them. A directory service also implements the services that make this information available to users, computers, and applications. A directory service is both a database storage system (directory store) and a set of services that provide the means to securely add, modify, delete, and locate data in the directory store.
Active Directory is typically used for one of three purposes:
Internal directory. Used within the corporate network for publishing information about users and resources within the enterprise. A company’s internal directory may be accessible to employees when they are outside the company network using a secure connection such as a virtual private network (VPN) connection, but it is not accessible to non-employees.
External directory. These are directories typically located on servers in the perimeter network or demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the boundary between the corporate local area network (LAN) and the public Internet. External directories are typically used to store information about customers, clients, and business partners, who access external applications or services. They are also made available to customers, clients, and business partners to provide them with selected business information such as catalog’s and so on.
Application directory. Application directories store "private" directory data that is relevant only to the application in a local directory, perhaps on the same server as the application, without requiring any additional configuration to Active Directory. The personalization data, which is only interesting to the portal application and does not need to be widely replicated, can be stored solely in the directory associated with the application. This solution reduces replication traffic on the network between domain controllers.
CMS Offerings
 Active Directory Workshops - including half day health check, one day workshop and roadmap, multi day design and implementation and custom training.
Demonstrations
For a better understanding of the capabilities offered when leveraging Active Directory Domain Services, CMS Consulting delivers effective demonstrations to all levels of the organization. Contact CMS Consulting today to arrange a demonstration and empower your organization in the decision making process.
Assessment and Health Checks
Already have Active Directory deployed? Our Active Directory Experts can perform a detailed assessment and health check of your environment. CMS Consultants are experts in diagnosing issues in Active Deployment, Group Policy and Security.
Design
Without careful design, an Active Directory implementation can leave an organization with an environment that is at high risk for malicious attack, nearly impossible to administer, inconsistent with business needs and difficult to expand or alter. Avoid the costs, risks and wasted time of having to re-design and re-install the forest root to correct poorly designed and planned first-time AD DS installations. Leverage CMS to provide a detailed Active Directory design to meet your organizational needs.
Implementation and Migration
Implementing a new Active Directory or Migrating from an existing directory service? CMS Consultants are experts in ensuring the deployment of Active Directory Domain Services is successful and meets customer requirements. Detailed Implementation and Migration steps are reviewed with customer throughout all phases of a project.
Training
Whether planning a new deployment or migrating to Active Directory for the first time, CMS Training offers detailed training in Active Directory giving your staff the necessary skills needed to diagnose and support Active Directory on a daily basis.
To learn more about Microsoft Active Directory Domain Services, contact CMS or visit Microsoft's Website
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