Managing networks is no simple feat. Network Administrators are constantly bombarded by issues. The need to secure the enterprise, manage the resources and data consumption, and maintain essential organizational services like Email and Internet can easily snowball to an 80+ hour workweek. Add to the laundry list the virtual environments that network administrators must be familiar with to implement and enforce policies and procedures and the need to stay up-to-date with the latest tech trends, training on new tools, and the perpetual struggle to upgrade and patch systems – and network admins can understandably become overwhelmed. Two rules that are steadfast within this industry are that something always goes wrong, normally at the worst possible time, and end-users always cause more complications. Depending upon the size and diversity of the enterprise, this can cost hours every day from an administrator’s schedule, requiring basic low-level work and leaving no time for detailed future network planning. Of all the daily problems, password management can be one of the most time consuming. Every day, networks are under constant threat from hackers, and passwords are the most common form of critical access control to ensure data integrity. Two common and time-consuming issues that constantly crop up within password security are Active Directory management and password history support.
Managing users in Active Directory
Managing users in Active Directory can be a constant job. Adding and removing entries, locking, unlocking and resetting passwords can easily take up most of the day in a small or medium sized enterprise. These issues are driving the demand for Password Self-Service Applications. Our solution, Access Manager, not only provides free unlimited self-service password management for small to medium-sized businesses, but its support for Active Directory can help ease the demands of managing this critical part of your identity management and access controls.
Native Password History Support
Another constant worry of network administrators is users continuing to use the same password over and over rather than choosing a new one. Even with the Password History Support, included in Active Directory, it’s often common for users on a diverse network with different systems to get around this protection and continue using their old password. The next version of Access Manager will offer native password history support so that users, regardless of the back-end system, will be forced to choose a new password each time their password account requires it. Being a network administration is hectic enough, but it doesn’t have to be a perpetual exercise in cat-herding. Off-loading the overhead of password management by selecting the right Password Self-Service application can go a long way to making admins more efficient by automating whenever possible so that they can concentrate on the more critical issues such as future planning and security posturing. This Blog is provided by Nervepoint Technologies and its CEO, Lee David Painter. With over 20 years of industry experience as a pioneer in IT Security, Lee developed the world’s first OpenSource browser-based SSL VPN (SSL-Explorer). Today, Lee runs Nervepoint Technologies, a leader in Password Self-Service solutions.
