Azure AD Pass-Through Authentication is GA!

Posted on by Dustin

The identity model for Azure Active Directory and all of the connected services has been adapting to customer needs for years. The first approach for most organizations was to use federated identities and it has required a significant investment for availability requirements; if the federation infrastructure is unavailable, nobody signs in. However, this capability offered all of the valuable options like multi-factor authentication, conditional access, and single sign on.

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Active Directory Sizing for Exchange

Posted on by Dustin

It is easy to dismiss the sizing of your Active Directory infrastructure simply based on CPU and RAM resource consumption; the resources generally appear to have minimal usage. However, Active Directory [Domain Services] is a little more complicated than that and Exchange Server is the canary in the coal mine, so to speak. There are … Continue reading Active Directory Sizing for Exchange

An Overly Aggressive Security Posture?

Posted on by Dustin

It is quite easy for security professionals to get aggressive with introducing controls into systems. I should know, I have worked with so many and I hold a CISSP, myself. But the overall intent of security is to make sure that systems are available for legitimate purposes. The old notion that the only secure system … Continue reading An Overly Aggressive Security Posture?

How to Provision Exchange Online Mailboxes

Posted on by Dustin

  After completing a migration to Exchange Online, it is common to have questions like: 1) What is the best practice for provisioning mailboxes? 2) How do I provision mailboxes? 3) Why should I keep this Exchange server around? Well, these are good questions.  Let's start with the last question.  When an organization migrates to … Continue reading How to Provision Exchange Online Mailboxes

Azure Active Directory Identities

Posted on by Dustin

This post is an introductory post in an upcoming and unfolding series regarding identity management. Whether for Office 365, Dynamics CRM, Azure, or 3rd party apps, having an understanding of identities in Azure AD is a must have feather to have in your cap.  These different identities require some decisions early on that are rather … Continue reading Azure Active Directory Identities

Learning Microsoft Identity Manager

Posted on by Dustin

Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) is a product with a long history from Microsoft.  While its storied timeline begins many years earlier as a product that Microsoft acquired called ZoomIt Via, Microsoft eventually rewrote the product from the ground up and released it as Microsoft Identity Integration Server 2003.  Since that time, the core component has … Continue reading Learning Microsoft Identity Manager

Installing a New Domain Controller with Windows Server 2012 R2 Server Core

Posted on by Dustin

https://youtu.be/tSdigf4cEqg   In this video, I demonstrate how to: 1. Utilize PowerShell to rename the computer and configure network settings 2. Utilize PowerShell to join a Windows Server 2012 R2 Server Core system to a domain 3. Utilize PowerShell to install the appropriate components to support Active Directory Domain Services and DNS, and become a … Continue reading Installing a New Domain Controller with Windows Server 2012 R2 Server Core

New Active Directory Forest with Windows Server 2012 R2 Server Core in (about) 10 Minutes

Posted on by Dustin

https://youtu.be/czLetT-eyb4  UPDATE: I replaced the original video with a newer version.  This was my first attempt at a YouTube video and I learned a lot during the production of the first two videos.  So, this new video includes the same content, merely improved editing and better use of YouTube features. In this video, I demonstrate … Continue reading New Active Directory Forest with Windows Server 2012 R2 Server Core in (about) 10 Minutes