Esteem provides comprehensive migration services for clients wanting to migrate to a secure connected Windows Server 2003 and Active Directory infrastructure.
Specific areas of expertise include migration from older versions of Windows including NT4 and other competitive platforms such as Novell and legacy UNIX environments.
What Is a Directory Service?
The Active DirectoryTM service is a central component of the Windows Server 2003 operating system platform. Understanding Active Directory is important to understanding the overall value of Windows 2003.
Today, networked computing is more important than ever for businesses to remain competitive. As a result, modern operating systems require mechanisms for managing the identities and relationships of the distributed resources that make up network environments. A directory service provides a place to store information about network-based entities, such as applications, files, printers, and people. It provides a consistent way to name, describe, locate, access, manage, and secure information about these individual resources.
Further, a directory service acts as the main switchboard of the network operating system. It is the central authority that manages the identities and brokers the relationships between these distributed resources, enabling them to work together. Because a directory service supplies these fundamental network operating system functions, it must be tightly coupled with the management and security mechanisms of the operating system to ensure the integrity and privacy of the network.
Why Have a Directory Service?
A directory service is one of the most important components of an extended computer system because it:
Simplifies management Provides a single, consistent point of management for users, applications, and devices.
Strengthens security Provides users with a single sign-on to network resources and provides administrators with powerful and consistent tools to manage security services for internal desktop users, remote dial-up users, and external e-commerce customers.
Extends interoperability Supplies standards-based access to all Active Directory features as well as synchronisation support for popular directories. The directory service is the hub around which a large distributed system turns. To address these needs, Windows Server 2003 introduces Active Directory, an integrated set of directory services that improve the management, security, and interoperability of the Windows network operating system.
User Benefits of Active Directory
Totally integrated with Windows Server 2003, Active Directory gives network administrators, developers, and users access to a directory service that:
- Simplify management tasks.
- Strengthen network security.
- Make use of existing systems through interoperability.
