* Microsoft case study features NameScape; NetPro begins shipping GPOADmin
It’s been a couple of years since I’ve talked about NameScape, the company Randy Bradley founded after he left NetPro, but a recent case study released by Microsoft highlights NameScape’s rDirectory product and it’s something that might be of interest to you.
In a nutshell, rDirectory is a user-focused Active Directory browser. With it, you can create any number of catalogs using directory-based information organized in specific views tailored for specific audiences. Users can not only sort and export to Outlook and Excel, they can also launch such applications as Windows Explorer, and even link to documents in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The Enterprise Edition of rDirectory even gives you the ability to integrate and share directory information with custom Web sites and other services such as Microsoft’s SharePoint.
The case study Microsoft published, “Healthcare Organization Tackles Complex Directory Scenario with Flexible Solution”, has this synopsis:
“A large healthcare organization with thousands of users as well as hundreds of offices, clinics, and other sites needed a way to create a unified directory of the organization. The challenge was an IT architecture consisting of many different platforms, none of which allow for easy integration of identity information. The organization turned to Namescape, a Microsoft Certified Partner, to deploy rDirectory, which uses Microsoft Active Directory Application Mode (ADAM) technology. Using ADAM and rDirectory, the healthcare organization was quickly able to implement a custom directory solution that shares the security features of Active Directory but can be deployed across a disparate IT infrastructure.”
Read it and see if this is an application that might solve some of your needs.
Bradley’s former company, NetPro, recently announced that it had begun shipping GPOADmin, a low-cost complement to Microsoft’s Group Policy Management Console (GPMC). GPOADmin simplifies Group Policy administration and management by automating critical tasks as GPO (group policy object) version control, auditing and comparison. This is a new module of NetPro’s Active Directory Administration Suite. Among its features include:
* Version control capabilities.
* A GPO comparison feature between GPOs over time and GPO versions both within and across domains.
* GPO lock capabilities to prevent unwanted changes.
* GPO cloak feature designed to hide and protect pre-production GPOs.
* GPO backup and link restoration, plus a great deal more.
Check out the specs at NetPro’s Web site and snag a copy of “Effective Group Policy Management”, a white paper written by noted author, speaker, trainer, and consultant Don Jones. You might learn a few new things about managing GPOs.
