Enhancing Group Policy through change management
Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM), a core component of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack for Software Assurance, makes it easier for IT organizations to keep enterprise-wide desktop configurations up to date, enabling greater control, less downtime, and reduced total cost of ownership (TCO).
Challenges in managing group policy
Group Policy objects (GPOs) play a powerful role in how your network is managed and secured. They enable IT staff to manage user and desktop settings on many computers at once. This means that every change to Group Policy usually affects multiple users and computers on the network. There is a risk associated with this degree of flexibility. Without a change control system, when IT teams alter GPOs, those changes can start affecting computers before they have been tested. If there's a problem with the updates, it can be difficult to quickly reverse them.
Additionally, although Group Policy provides a delegation model, the editor role has full permissions to deploy changes to the live environment. With the possibility of multiple editors per GPO, there is no way to detect who has made which changes, or to accept or reject changes before they are put into effect.
AGPM makes it easier to securely manage Group Policy throughout your organization and control the change process around GPOs.
Group Policy object control with change management
Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management: Advantages
Increase control of your Group Policies
Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management provides a more secure archive for controlling changes to GPOs by letting IT develop, review, and modify GPOs without affecting employee desktops. By acting as an extension to the Active Directory management console and providing granular administration, AGPM enables your staff to have much greater control over how edits are made and applied, resulting in a much richer level of PC manageability.
Reduced downtime keeps users productive
Microsoft Advanced Group Policy Management helps you avoid the downtime that can result from improperly configured or conflicting GPOs. Its offline editing and workflow delegation capabilities allow IT to configure, test, and approve changes before they go live, and quickly roll back changes if needed. It also helps IT recover deleted GPOs and repair live GPOs, reducing the risk of widespread failures.
Improve total cost of ownership with reduced support costs
Robust difference reporting and audit logging help your IT staff quickly diagnose and prevent problems with Group Policies. This enhanced diagnostics capability translates to fewer helpdesk calls and labor costs. It also increases both end-user and IT productivity, improving overall desktop TCO.
Find guidance for IT professionals at the Windows TechCenter.