Course Objective & Scope
Active Directory sits at the heart of enterprise authentication; a poorly structured OU/GPO hierarchy or over-privileged accounts invite both operational issues and lateral-movement attacks. This course provides hands-on practice in designing, operating and hardening AD DS.
Forest and domain architecture, Domain Controller deployment, FSMO roles, AD-integrated DNS, sites and replication, Group Policy design, delegation with the tiering model, and hybrid identity sync with Microsoft Entra Connect are covered in labs. Participants compile an AD health and security checklist for their organisation.
Who Should Attend?
- System administrators and engineers managing identity and directory services
- Cybersecurity specialists responsible for Active Directory hardening
- IT teams managing enterprise client and server Group Policies (GPO)
- Prerequisite: basic Windows Server and networking knowledge
Key Takeaways
- Build an OU hierarchy, group strategy (AGDLP) and delegation model suited to the organisation
- Manage Domain Controllers, FSMO roles, AD DNS and inter-site replication topologies
- Configure Group Policy Objects (GPOs) cleanly and without login delays
- Reduce privileged account risk using tiered administration, gMSAs and Windows LAPS
- Perform AD backup, object recovery with the Recycle Bin and Entra ID hybrid synchronisation
Curriculum
AD DS Architecture, Domain Controllers and FSMO Roles
- Forests, trees, domains, the schema and the global catalog
- Deploying DCs, RODCs and managing/seizing the 5 FSMO roles
- AD-integrated DNS zones and SRV records
OU Design, Object Management and PowerShell Automation
- Users, computers, groups (AGDLP) and OU hierarchy
- Bulk administration with the Active Directory PowerShell module
- Fine-Grained Password Policies and the AD Recycle Bin
Site Topology and Replication Management
- Sites, subnets, site links and the KCC/ISTG mechanism
- Troubleshooting replication with repadmin and dcdiag
Group Policy (GPO) Design and Troubleshooting
- LSDOU processing order, WMI filters and security filtering
- Security baselines, software/script deployment and gpresult/RSoP analysis
AD Hardening, Backup and Entra ID Hybrid Identity
- Tiering model, delegation, gMSAs, Windows LAPS and Kerberos/LDAP hardening
- System State backup, authoritative restore and Entra Connect sync
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