Identity Management

When trying to join a computer to an Active Directory domain, you may sometimes encounter the “an Active Directory Domain Controller could not be contacted” error. In this post, I’ll explain the different DNS and IP settings you can check to fix this error and finally join your computer to a domain. How can you…

Group Policy is an infrastructure feature in Active Directory that allows IT pros to manage their users’ Windows environments and servers. In this article, I will explain in detail what is Group Policy, what is a Group Policy Object (GPO), and how to adjust the policy settings to meet your security needs and compliance requirements….

Microsoft has announced the public preview of a new custom claims provider feature for Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). The custom extension allows organizations to call an API and map custom claims into the security token during the authentication process. The custom extensions feature enables Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) users to interact with external…

Discover the benefits of using Azure AD B2B in your organization. Learn how it can improve collaboration and streamline access for external partners, and boost your users’ productivity, safely and securely. What is Azure B2B? Microsoft Entra B2B (formerly Azure AD B2B) is a feature/service within the Microsoft Entra ID that allows collaboration between your…

Microsoft has provided a detailed overview of the latest features and capabilities for Entra customers, focusing on improvements in security, identity modernization, and more. These updates aim to streamline operations while strengthening protection and adaptability for organizations. Security improvements In June, Microsoft announced that it would require multifactor authentication (MFA) for all Azure sign-ins beginning…

Second only to Generative AI, cybersecurity is top of mind for organizations across the globe. But with Microsoft’s rapid release approach to cloud-based and cloud-enabled security features, how do you make sure you have the basics covered? In this short guide, we’ll walk through the first 4 steps you should consider when implementing or securing…

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) has become important for user security within Active Directory environments. By implementing additional verification steps, MFA makes it more difficult for adversaries to gain unauthorized access and it is essential for any organization aiming to secure its Active Directory infrastructure. However, despite investing heavily on MFA to stop cyberattacks, top research reports…

How do you add a new domain controller (DC) to your existing Active Directory (AD) domain? In this post, I will show you how to quickly add a new DC to AD. This article applies to: Windows Server 2025, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2016 Check the domain and forest functional…

In this guide, I’ll show you how to add a new forest to your existing Active Directory environment. There may be compliance or security requirements dictating you add a new forest. This article applies to: Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2022, and Windows Server 2025. However, just a note, you can add…

In this guide I’ll show you how to add a child domain to an existing forest. If you have, for example, contoso.com as your single Active Directory forest domain, you may want to add some logical separation. You can add a child domain, corp.contoso.com, to your forest during the DC promotion wizard. This article applies…

Microsoft Entra ID users will soon have the option to receive multifactor authentication (MFA) one-time passcodes (OTPs) directly through WhatsApp. This feature will initially be available to commercial customers in India and select other countries. Microsoft Entra ID (formerly known as Azure Active Directory) is a cloud-based identity and access management service that enables organizations…

This article explores how Microsoft Entra’s new token theft protection policy can provide robust protection against token theft. By leveraging a new Conditional Access policy, organizations can safeguard their digital identities and sensitive data from cyberthreats. Securing your IT landscape is increasingly becoming critical. With cyberthreats on the rise, and showing no signs of slowing…