Introduction

The active directory has a pivotal role in the management of data in an organization. IT admins use the active directory and its functions to allocate particular computers/clients in a logical hierarchy, ensuring which computer or AD device belongs to which network if the user plays an authoritarian power and has access to the storage room. IT also uses the active directory to control and monitor accessibility for the network resources, which ensures privacy and data protection. To manage the active directory itself, IT admins implement certain third tools known as Active Directory Management Tools (ADMT).

Definition

ADMT are third-party tools used to manage and monitor a particular active directory built on Microsoft servers.

Example and usage of ADMT

The top 5 ADMT tools in terms of popularity and usability are:

1. Manage Engine AD Manager Plus: This tool carries out active directory monitoring and generates reports at regular intervals. This tool has a simple GUI and allows the admin to move AD objects, groups, and users from one network to another.
2. IT environment health scanner: This is a preventive tool that can be used by IT admins to carry out regular AD scans to detect any problems or potential errors and take preventive measures. It detects everything and gives a thorough report (from services to even DNS commands). However, the tool is heavier and has a back-dated UI.
3. Specops Command: This tool allows you to create commands and scripts on Windows PowerShell to remove/add or control AD objects or users on networks aligned in a logical hierarchy. You can even time and schedule when a script should be deployed in the active directory, which makes this tool very handy. However, as it needs scripting, it does not have any actual GUI.
4. Microsoft Active Directory topology diagrammer: This tool allows you to have a third-party view of your active directory as it creates Visio diagrams of your active directory infrastructure or topology for domains, services or servers. This allows IT admins to check for any problems or wrong configurations in the AD.
5. Netwrix effective permissions reporting tool: As the name hints, this tool manages permissions in an active directory. Using this tool allows the admin to control which account/user has which permissions and allowances. This also traces every file in the storage and shows who has access to it, simplifying the process.