NetIQ Aims To Boost Active Directory Security

NetIQ

Directory Security Administrator boosts Active Directory's security by giving administrators a centralized interface to view, search and change Active Directory Access Control Lists (ACLs).

ACLs allow administrators to control user access, but when multiplied by the number of users and objects in a directory, ACLs can be very complicated to manage, said Greg Todd, product director at NetIQ. The Directory Security Administrator eases the management burden by making it easy to search and modify ACLs, he said.

Directory Security Administrator is part of an upgraded set of applications from NetIQ, called Administration Suite version 2.0, Standard Edition, which the vendor released Monday.

The suite provides administrative capabilities for Windows NT 4, Windows 2000/Active Directory, Exchange 5.5, Exchange 2000 and Windows resources, including printers, file shares and file systems.

NetIQ, based here, also introduced an advanced edition of its Administration Suite, which features a group policy management tool licensed from Boston-based FullArmor.

The tool, Group Policy Administrator, makes it easier for administrators to manage group policies for Active Directory by allowing them to model, back up and track policy changes, Todd said.

Group Policy Administrator and Directory Security Administrator each cost $9 per user. Pricing for Administration Suite 2.0, Standard Edition, begins at $24 per user. Pricing for the advanced version of the suite begins at $30 per user.