NetIQ, which provides integrated systems and security management solutions, has announced version 5.0 of its Group Policy Administrator.
The product enables enterprises to more efficiently manage the Group Policy Object (GPO) change process and reduce the downtime and risk posed by unmanaged changes.
"NetIQ Group Policy Administrator 5.0 is an integral part of the company`s operational change control solutions, a line of comprehensive products designed to reduce the risk and costs associated with controlling change," says Riaan Otto, GM of 10Net ICT Solutions, local distributor of the NetIQ product range.
As Group Policy takes on a larger role in helping enterprises achieve their compliance goals, it is critical for organisations to more effectively manage and document GPO changes within Active Directory. Using an ITIL-like approach to GPO changes, NetIQ Group Policy Administrator reduces risks to the operational integrity of the environment and those associated with service downtime and availability. NetIQ Group Policy Administrator assists organisations trying to become compliant by providing a secure, offline environment for GPOs, where changes can be modelled, tested, approved and documented before a change is made to the live Active Directory environment.
"NetIQ Group Policy Administrator provides the planning, version control and diagnostic tools we need to verify Group Policy is working as designed. Due to the growing number of regulatory initiatives that require tighter control over key enterprise assets, we have extensively leveraged Group Policy to help us satisfy compliance requirements," says Kelley Ealy, consulting security analyst of Kindred Healthcare. "As our number of GPOs has grown, along with their importance to our overall compliance strategy, so has our need to proactively manage changes to Group Policy."
NetIQ Group Policy Administrator 5.0 builds on the change management capabilities in earlier versions to introduce new functionality targeting the needs of large enterprise environments. New features include:
* After hours GPO deployment;
* Enterprise consistency enforcement;
* Cross-trust GPO management;
* Advanced RSoP-based diagnostics; and
* First-level integration.
"NetIQ Group Policy Administrator 5.0 offers additional functionality to meet the challenges associated with Group Policy management," says Michael Dennis, lead program manager, Group Policy Development Team, Microsoft. "It provides organisations with the capabilities to properly manage change and audit Group Policy for customers of Microsoft`s Active Directory."
The product is part of NetIQ`s unique strategy, Knowledge-Based Service Assurance, which provides customers with systems and security management solutions that empower IT organisations with the knowledge and ability necessary to assure IT service.
"With Microsoft`s expanding emphasis on Group Policy and the role it has in enforcing compliance requirements to the desktop, NetIQ is committed to developing solutions that help enterprises establish and manage the Group Policy change control process," says Jim McGrath, senior director for product management, NetIQ. "NetIQ Group Policy Administrator 5.0 demonstrates this commitment with its innovative features and focus on meeting real customer needs."
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