What is Active Directory Security?
Active Directory is a directory service offered by Microsoft Windows that helps administrators configure permissions and network access. Microsoft Windows Active Directory has several components, including Active Directory Domain Services, Active Directory Certificate Services and Active Directory Federation Services.
Information technology (IT) administrators rely on these Microsoft Active Directory services to perform a variety of daily processes, including domain controller workflows. For example, when a user logs on to a domain joined device, the domain controllers authenticate the user name and password. If the user is a system administrator, domain controllers can grant additional permissions.
Microsoft Active Directory security is important for businesses because the service holds the keys to the kingdom — providing access to systems, applications and resources. Businesses must be aware of vulnerabilities and take steps to strengthen their Active Directory security, like using security tools or following best practices, to keep their networks safe from cyberattacks.