PowerShell is the ultimate Windows administration tool, capable of reaching into even the deepest, darkest parts of our computer and server operating systems. Group Policy administration can be made more efficient by defining your common, everyday tasks, and building out PowerShell commands in order to perform those actions. This enables you to do the daily chores without having to log into a Domain Controller, and without having to open GPMC in any way. These cmdlets can then be saved to be run very quickly in the future, or even set to run automatically at scheduled intervals, such as with GPO Backups.

There are many ways to dig deeper into GPOs by using the PowerShell cmdlets inside the Group Policy module, allowing you to accomplish anything via PowerShell that you would otherwise be able to do with GPMC, including modifying the settings inside GPOs.

Do I expect all of you to immediately jump ship and start using PowerShell for all Group Policy-related tasks? No way. Until you take the time to really learn and experiment with these cmdlets, they will take longer than popping open GPMC and doing it the normal way. But, if you put in the time, you won't regret it. Not only is PowerShell useful for Group Policy administration, knowledge of PowerShell can be advantageous to all aspects of your IT career.

Thank you for sticking with me on this jungle safari ride through Microsoft Group Policy. If you use Active Directory as your directory services technology (and almost every business in the world does), you already have Group Policy sitting, waiting at your fingertips. I hope this book has encouraged you to get out there and start using it! If you're already well-versed in all things GPO, then my goal is to whet your whistle for getting back in there at a deeper level to discover new security features that get introduced with every iteration of the Windows operating system. If you haven't re-visited your security policies and posture in the last year, you are almost certainly missing out on some features in your environment!