1.0 Introduction

NetIQ Enterprise Administration solutions provide enterprise customers with the ability to safely and securely delegate administrative privileges across their Windows server, Active Directory, Group Policy, Office 365, Skype, and Exchange server environments. Combined with detailed auditing of and reporting on administrative activities, NetIQ Enterprise Administration solutions provide organizations with unprecedented levels of accountability while reducing the costs associated with daily operations, internal policy, and regulatory compliance activities.

Organizations have increasingly relied upon Active Directory for the central management of identities and for the authentication and authorization of those identities to the network and IT services. With the introduction of Office 365, organizations have come to depend more and more on maintaining a single point of control over on-premises and cloud directory and messaging administration. However, assuring the security, availability and integrity of Active Directory and Office 365 requires more than just delegating permissions or changing group memberships. IT Governance and auditors also require proof that policies and procedures are enforced, that changes are tracked, and that administrators are not able to manage beyond the scope of their responsibilities.

NetIQ Directory and Resource Administrator (DRA) delivers an unparalleled ability to control who can manage what within Active Directory and Office 365 while protecting the consistency and integrity of its information by validating all administrative changes. Through granular delegation of permissions, robust change management policies, and automation that simplifies workflows, DRA reduces down time and operational risks to Active Directory and Office 365 that are posed by the consequences of malicious or accidental changes.

NetIQ Exchange Administrator (ExA) extends the powerful features of DRA to provide seamless management of Microsoft Exchange. Through a single, common user interface, ExA delivers policy-based administration for the management of directories, mailboxes and distribution lists across your Microsoft Exchange environment.

Together, DRA and ExA provide the solutions you need to control and manage your Active Directory, Microsoft Windows, and Microsoft Exchange environments.

Key benefits of DRA include:

Policy and regulation compliance

Involves the assessment, operation, and control of systems and resources in accordance with security standards, best practices, and regulatory requirements and provides logging and auditing capabilities that help demonstrate compliance.

Operational integrity

Prevents malicious or incorrect changes that affect the performance and availability of systems and services by providing granular access control for administrators and managing access to systems and resources.

Process enforcement

Maintains the integrity of key change management processes that help you improve productivity, reduce errors, save time, and increase administration efficiency.