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Quest Delivers Group Policy Manager Update

Quest Software is shipping version 2.5 of its Group Policy Manager tool for creating, testing and implementing Windows Group Policy.

The new version features a client-server architecture that enables administrators to lock down Active Directory, preventing any changes from being made outside of the Group Policy Manager. It also adds a “container hierarchy view” that allows for organizing Group Policy Objects (GPO) into containers and subcontainers in order to enable greater granularity in granting permission to change GPOs, Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based Quest said in a statement.

Version 2.5 also has an improved notification system that lets administrators subscribe to automated notices informing them when changes are made to specific GPOs. A new “user-defined label” feature lets users include history comments as labels that can be used for rolling back to earlier GPO versions.

Additionally, Quest’s Vintela Authentication Services allows Unix and Linux systems to join Active Directory domains so that non-Windows GPOs can be natively managed in Group Policy Manager. Quest acquired Vintela earlier this year.

Quest Group Policy Manager 2.5 starts at $8 per managed user account.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.

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