1 Introduction

  • Article

Organizations face increasingly complex challenges in managing their IT infrastructures. They are responsible for delivering and maintaining customized desktop configurations for many types of workers, including mobile users, information workers, and others that are assigned to strictly defined tasks, such as data entry. Changes to standard operating system images might be required on an ongoing basis. Security settings and updates must be delivered efficiently to all the computers and devices in the organization. New users have to be productive quickly without costly training. In the event of a computer failure or disaster, service must be restored with minimal data loss and interruption.

Typically, IT departments respond to various factors that require changes in the IT environment. These changes might consist of requirements such as the following:

  • Installation of new operating systems and applications.

  • Updates to operating systems and applications.

  • Installation of new hardware.

  • Configuration changes to support new business needs.

  • Management of centralized control of resources.

  • Configuration changes that enhance security.

  • Addition of new users and computers in the domain.

Group Policy enables IT departments to efficiently respond to requirements such as these, by providing the necessary framework to deliver computer configuration and policy setting changes that target specific computers and users. These policy settings are specified by a Group Policy administrator.