ADAudit Plus helps Expertech centralize Active Directory reporting and enhance user monitoring

Business challenges

• Lack of comprehensive AD reporting and alerting: Expertech's IT team had difficulty tracking and reporting AD changes, such as administrative group modifications and account status changes.
• User activity monitoring: The need to monitor user login activities and subnet logins to ensure compliance with work policies. Besides, the organization required a tool that can centralize change monitoring happening across various user groups within its environment, including HR, finance, and executive groups.

The Problem

Expertech faced significant challenges in monitoring and managing their Active Directory environment. "We had issues reporting and alerting on anything related to Active Directory," recalls Serena Macey, Network Manager at Expertech. The IT team struggled to identify which member of the helpdesk team made erroneous changes, track modifications to administrative groups, or verify if disabled users were re-enabled without authorization. Additionally, the organization had limited visibility into subnet logins, which made it challenging for the IT team to enforce policies requiring employees to work a specific number of days in the office.

The existing manual processes adopted by Expertech were time-consuming and error-prone, increasing the risk of security breaches and operational inefficiencies. Expertech needed a cost-effective solution that could provide comprehensive AD auditing, offer real-time insights, and automate reporting to free up IT resources for more strategic tasks. The ability to track detailed changes and user activities in real-time was crucial for maintaining security and operational integrity.

The Solution

The implementation of ADAudit Plus transformed Expertech's approach to AD management and security. "ADAudit tracks everything and makes reporting easy," says Macey. With ADAudit Plus, the IT team could effortlessly monitor and report on all critical AD activities. They gained the ability to see who enabled or unlocked network accounts, track computer additions and removals from the domain, and identify which computers users were logged into. This visibility was crucial for ensuring compliance with internal policies and maintaining security.

The detailed reports provided by ADAudit Plus became indispensable tools for the IT team. Reports such as "Password set to expire" and "User login activity" allowed them to ensure that employees were correctly set up to change their passwords and monitor where employees were working. Additionally, the "Users logged into multiple computers" report helped resolve account lockout issues caused by users forgetting to log out of previous computers.

The user monitoring capabilities of ADAudit Plus enabled Expertech to configure alerts for changes in critical groups, such as HR, Finance, and Executive groups, enhancing their security posture. The ability to see if a user had been added to the local administrative group or if users were created, deleted, enabled, or disabled provided the IT team with the necessary oversight to maintain a secure and compliant AD environment.

Macey heaps praise on ManageEngine's support team, stating that "[ManageEngine's support is] present, helpful, and their chat function is quick, resolving issues in a timely manner." The comprehensive functionality of ADAudit Plus and its user-friendly interface significantly improved Expertech's AD management, streamlining operations and bolstering security. ADAudit Plus' ease of use and robust features made it an invaluable asset for the company, allowing them to focus on more strategic initiatives while maintaining a secure and efficient AD environment.

About ADAudit Plus

ADAudit Plus is a real-time Active Directory change auditing solution that features file and folder monitoring, plus access and permission change capabilities. With more than 200 event-specific reports and real-time email alerts, it provides in-depth knowledge about changes made to both the content and configurations of Active Directory, Azure AD, and Windows servers. Additionally, ADAudit Plus provides thorough insights on workstation and file server access (including NetApp and EMC). For more information about ADAudit Plus, visit https://www.manageengine.com/products/active-directory-audit/.