Master Active Directory: Security, Replication, Group Policy, and Azure Integration for Enterprise Environments
π₯ 505 students
π October 2025 update
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- Course Overview
- This advanced course, ‘Active Directory Advanced AD DS infrastructure management-PT’, is meticulously designed for IT professionals aiming to master the complexities of Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) within large-scale, enterprise-grade environments. It transcends foundational knowledge, delving into the intricacies required for designing, implementing, securing, and optimizing robust AD infrastructures.
- We explore critical aspects often overlooked in basic training, focusing on operational stability, advanced security postures, high availability, and efficient management of geographically dispersed Active Directory deployments. The curriculum emphasizes a proactive approach to AD health and performance.
- A significant portion of the course is dedicated to the evolving landscape of hybrid identity, demonstrating best practices for integrating on-premises AD DS with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). This prepares students for seamless identity management across cloud and on-premises resources.
- The ‘PT’ designation signifies a practical, hands-on training approach, equipping participants with immediately applicable skills to tackle real-world challenges in complex Active Directory ecosystems. It aims to elevate IT professionals from administrators to strategic architects and troubleshooters.
- This updated October 2025 version incorporates the latest security best practices, replication enhancements, Group Policy capabilities, and Azure integration features, ensuring relevance in modern enterprise IT infrastructures and compliance standards.
- Targeted at experienced Active Directory administrators, system engineers, IT architects, and security specialists, this course provides the deep technical understanding necessary to manage and protect one of an organization’s most critical assets β its identity infrastructure.
- Requirements / Prerequisites
- Foundational AD Knowledge: A solid understanding of Active Directory fundamental concepts, including domains, forests, trusts, DNS integration, organizational units (OUs), users, groups, and basic Group Policy Objects (GPOs) is absolutely essential.
- Windows Server Experience: Practical experience with Windows Server operating systems (2016, 2019, or 2022), including installation, basic configuration, and common server roles.
- Networking Fundamentals: A firm grasp of TCP/IP networking, DNS principles, DHCP, subnetting, routing, and firewall concepts is critical for understanding AD communication and replication.
- PowerShell Basics: Familiarity with PowerShell cmdlets, scripting fundamentals, and object-oriented concepts will be highly beneficial, as extensive automation and management tasks will utilize PowerShell.
- Virtualization Knowledge (Recommended): Basic understanding of virtualization platforms like Hyper-V or VMware will aid in setting up lab environments and understanding deployment scenarios.
- Skills Covered / Tools Used
- Advanced Active Directory Security: Deep dive into hardening domain controllers, implementing secure administrative tiers, managing service accounts, deploying Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS), configuring Kerberos delegation (constrained and resource-based), and integrating with advanced threat protection solutions.
- AD Replication Management & Troubleshooting: Mastering the Active Directory replication topology, understanding the Knowledge Consistency Checker (KCC), site links, bridgehead servers, and troubleshooting replication failures using tools like repadmin and DCDiag.
- Sophisticated Group Policy Management: Advanced GPO processing, filtering, security filtering, WMI filtering, loopback processing modes, item-level targeting, GPO preference items, central store management, and troubleshooting Group Policy application issues.
- Hybrid Identity with Azure AD Connect: Comprehensive configuration and optimization of Azure AD Connect, including various synchronization options (password hash synchronization, pass-through authentication, federation overview), filtering, custom attributes, and understanding synchronization services manager.
- Forest and Domain Management: Best practices for FSMO role placement, transfer, and seizure; domain controller deployment strategies, global catalog considerations, read-only domain controllers (RODCs), and inter-forest trust relationships.
- DNS & Time Synchronization (NTP): In-depth management of DNS for Active Directory, understanding SRV records, dynamic DNS updates, DNS security extensions (DNSSEC), and ensuring precise time synchronization across the entire AD forest using NTP.
- AD DS Database & Health Management: Performing offline defragmentation of the NTDS.DIT database using esentutl, database recovery techniques, tombstone lifetime management, and proactive monitoring of AD health and performance metrics.
- Monitoring & Performance Tuning: Utilizing built-in tools like Performance Monitor (Perfmon), Event Viewer, and Reliability Monitor to identify performance bottlenecks and proactively diagnose Active Directory issues.
- PowerShell for Advanced Administration: Extensive use of Active Directory PowerShell modules for automating complex tasks, generating detailed reports, managing objects, and implementing configuration changes at scale.
- Diagnostic & Management Tools: Proficient use of AD Users and Computers, AD Sites and Services, AD Domains and Trusts, Group Policy Management Console (GPMC), ADSI Edit, nltest, netdom, setspn, and various other command-line utilities.
- Benefits / Outcomes
- Architect Resilient AD Infrastructures: Gain the expertise to design, deploy, and manage highly available, fault-tolerant, and geographically optimized Active Directory Domain Services environments that meet enterprise demands.
- Fortify AD Security Posture: Acquire advanced knowledge and practical skills to implement multi-layered security defenses, protect sensitive administrative accounts, and significantly reduce the attack surface of your Active Directory.
- Master Hybrid Identity Management: Confidently manage the integration between on-premises Active Directory and Azure AD, ensuring seamless user experience, consistent policy enforcement, and robust security across your hybrid identity landscape.
- Optimize Performance & Troubleshooting: Develop advanced diagnostic and troubleshooting methodologies to quickly identify, resolve, and prevent complex Active Directory replication, Group Policy, and authentication issues, enhancing system uptime.
- Streamline Operations Through Automation: Leverage PowerShell extensively to automate routine administrative tasks, generate comprehensive reports, and implement configuration changes efficiently across your entire AD forest, saving time and reducing errors.
- Strategic Career Advancement: Position yourself as a senior-level Active Directory administrator, identity engineer, security specialist, or enterprise architect, capable of leading complex identity management projects and initiatives.
- Prepare for Advanced Certifications: The comprehensive curriculum provides excellent preparation for industry-recognized certifications focused on Windows Server and Microsoft 365 Identity and Access Management roles.
- PROS
- Deep Dive into Enterprise Scenarios: Focuses specifically on the complex challenges and requirements of large, geographically distributed enterprise Active Directory environments.
- Strong Security Emphasis: Provides extensive coverage of advanced security hardening, threat detection, and prevention techniques crucial for protecting modern AD infrastructures.
- Practical Azure AD Integration: Offers up-to-date best practices and detailed guidance on integrating on-premises AD DS with Azure AD for hybrid identity management.
- Comprehensive Skill Development: Equips students with a wide array of practical skills and diagnostic tools essential for advanced AD administration, optimization, and troubleshooting.
- Immediate Applicability: The knowledge and skills gained are directly transferable and immediately applicable to real-world operational and strategic IT challenges.
- CONS
- Requires a substantial pre-existing foundation in Active Directory, which might present a steep learning curve for individuals without adequate prerequisite knowledge.
Learning Tracks: English,IT & Software,Operating Systems & Servers
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