Anyone who has been a user in any organisation that has gone through migrations, mergers, or divestitures knows all about the usual effects of having all of your email, documents and identity moved from one place to another, sometimes with properties of these directory objects transformed along the way.
Lockouts or inability to access mailboxes, lack of connection to workplace domains, and missing or moved data files are common hangovers from directory migration or merger, and the aftereffects can be long-term problems for IT admin teams tasked with the clean-up, but the chief issue has always been, and always will be, the effects on the user.
It all comes down to Identity and permissions. If your user does not have the access that they need across their usually accessible collection of directory objects, then they cannot do their job. That job, however vital, is a revenue earner for your organisation, so time is money, or more accurately, downtime is money.
WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS WITH MIGRATION AND DIRECTORY SYNC?
If you’re looking at a complex migration that involves transformation of a large number of directory objects in addition to movement of users and a combination of domains, then you need an identity and synchronisation platform that will tick the following three big boxes;
- Your sync solution needs to be reliable and robust, able to manage any level of complexity and number of domains, and once configured needs to operate efficiently without interruption.
- A solution which ties into users’ devices and can coordinate the reconfiguring of settings, permissions, and workloads on these devices at the critical time during the merger or divestiture.
- Identity is the cornerstone of any organisation, and when making mass changes you need to have confidence that the configuration you’ve designed is fit for purpose. Your solution should show you before and after status of all the objects scheduled for change, allowing you to accurately report a confidence level back to stakeholders.
PowerSyncPro fulfils all these requirements and more during your migration or DirSync operation, essentially providing an environment where users can log in to their new domain and directory configuration on day one, and everything like groups and permissions (like SID history) they once had access to will be there reflected in the target directory, in addition to whichever new objects they are allowed to access.
POWERSYNCPRO PROVIDES EASY IDENTITY MANAGEMENT
Long term sync between directories also comes with its own set of issues surrounding identity and access. Reliable Identity management and Two-way password sync are critical, ensuring that access permissions and password changes made in one part of the overall group of directories are reflected and copied everywhere else, for seamless access across all objects designated for access by that user. PowerSyncPro handles these areas of DirSync and Identity Management flawlessly and efficiently, meaning no unexpected lockouts, and no expectations of repeated password entry, which for some users can be a repeating headache.
With PowerSyncPro, the sync itself can also be left to operate indefinitely. As there is no reliance on external software or cloud locations to maintain the directory sync (except for cloud locations included in the overall directory sync) The operation requires no prompting or management from external sources in order to maintain itself. This is especially useful for multiple on-premises active directory sync where there are older platforms needing to be synchronised with newer incompatible architectures. With standard migration toolkits or for where migration is inappropriate, trying to integrate these with newer cloud-based directory management can be problematic. With PowerSyncPro, the DirSync operation can be set up and simply be left in place, with the relevant Identities managed appropriately, allowing access to the older directories to continue normally alongside the new.
PROVIDING AN EASY USER EXPERIENCE DURING SYNC
These factors, the ease of deployment, the high functionality during sync, and indefinite sync periods, all combine to ensure that your users effectively don’t experience any consequences of complicated DirSync operations other than expanding or streamlining access as intended by your network admins.
If you’re looking to provide your users a pain-free experience, via a reliable, secure, and easily managed solution for complex AD migrations, or simplifying difficult DirSync operations, then PowerSyncPro is the one toolkit that does it all. Right now, PowerSyncPro can only be installed, configured, and operated as part of a professional service package from the team at Nero Blanco IT Limited, who are among the world foremost experts in the migration process, with more than 50 years of combined experience running and optimising migrations for global brands. Get in touch today to see how PowerSyncPro can simplify your next migration or Directory Sync project.