Chapter 1. How Active Directory Will Affect Your Organization

Many organizations today have multiple directories in place. There are phone directories, email directories, and human resource directories. Each of these directories is typically maintained and managed by different groups. This guarantees that at any one time the information contained in any one directory is different than the information in each of the other directories.

With the prevalence of multiple directories, many organizations have established the goal of implementing a single, consolidated directory. This consolidation promises to ensure greater accuracy, increase productivity, and facilitate more efficient and effective directory administration. Microsoft's Active Directory is a compelling technology for achieving the goal of a single organization-wide directory.

Active Directory can be viewed from two different perspectives. One perspective is that of the Information Technology (IT) department, including administrations, operations, and development. The second perspective is that of the end user. This chapter will examine how the implementation of Active Directory impacts individuals and groups in your organization—your customers. It also provides recommendations for how the IT department should adjust to take the best advantage of Active Directory.