Bulk directory management

Your directory has hundreds, maybe thousands of users. Imagine a task that you need to do for many of those users and imagine doing it manually, one-by-one. A nightmare and a huge time sink. But these tasks are not that rare.

You might argue that you have PowerShell for bulk management. It definitely helps, but it also has certain limitations – complexity is but one of them. Even if everyone suddenly became proficient with PowerShell, you would still have to document and maintain custom scripts, somehow solve delegation of access rights and constantly be vigilant that everything is done by the book. It ain't pretty. So how can Adaxes improve it?

Web interface for bulk management

The Web interface in Adaxes solves many of the problems inherent to bulk management. First of all, it allows you to access every object in your Active Directory and Microsoft Entra domains from the same web page. You no longer need to juggle a variety of native tools or several admin accounts – bulk operations across your environment boil down to selecting some objects and then clicking a button that does what you need.

Secondly, operations available in the Web interface can be customized. For example, the list of groups selectable in the Add to group operation can be restricted. A simple Reset password operation can automatically generate unique passwords for multiple accounts, using a template. And so on. Any operation can be renamed, hidden from certain views, or disabled entirely.

This makes it possible to delegate most if not all of the bulk management tasks to someone less experienced than admins. There will simply be no wrong or dangerous buttons – you can restrict or remove them all. Each available button will have a clear purpose directly tied to the job responsibilities of the user. The learning curve of such a system... well, let's just say it is not comparable to learning all the native tools or the intricacies of custom PowerShell scripts that tend to build over time.

Custom bulk workflows

Believe it or not, complex tasks can also be performed in bulk. And they are also easy to delegate. With the help of custom commands, you can design custom workflows that consist of multiple steps and use conditions to control how the workflow is executed for different users.

Let's say you have a standard process for adding new users to groups. Each user must become a member of a group that corresponds to their department and also must be added to a particular group if they are a remote employee. A custom command can convert this workflow into a one-click process.

This example with group membership is as simple as it gets, but you can configure any actions and any logic in a custom command. If there is no built-in action or condition that does what you need, you can insert PowerShell scripts to cover any scenario. This lets you build efficient and dynamic workflows for bulk management that you can then delegate to someone else just like any other tasks. Even if scripts are involved in the workflow, the end users will not know.

But the truth is, doing complex bulk actions manually should be your last resort. It is better to schedule them or completely automate them. The same workflow that updates the group membership can be launched automatically after user creation, after a user changes department, etc.

No matter how sophisticated a workflow is, it can be automated with Adaxes as long as you can strictly define when and how to execute it. And if you can't, the Web interface is always there, for all your spontaneous bulk management needs.

Bulk user import

It is dreadful if you have to provision every account manually, especially if you can obtain the details about new users in a digestible format like CSV. Most HR systems and other third-party user management solutions can export CSV files. If you own one, why not leverage this and onboard users in bulk? Adaxes has a convenient bulk import wizard that can help you get those accounts up and running in no time.

Of course, user import in GUI is still manual, no matter how convenient it is. Luckily, you can automate bulk user import by scheduling it. Just grab one of the countless PowerShell scripts for user import from the Adaxes script repository, and you are good to go. Adaxes will process the CSV files exported by your HR system and create new users in your directory without you lifting a finger.

Yes, fully automated bulk user onboarding requires a bit of PowerShell scripting, there is no going around that. But it pales in comparison with the volume of code you would need to write in vanilla PowerShell to achieve the same. Coding user creation is only the first step. What about the rest of the onboarding steps? Do you need to script that as well?

Not in Adaxes. You can configure onboarding workflows that will automatically trigger after user account creation to ensure that all new accounts are done and dusted before you hand them over to your employees.

There are plenty of built-in actions to cover even the most demanding onboarding scenarios. Adding new users to groups, assigning Microsoft 365 licenses, configuring Exchange mailboxes – all this does not require a single line of code in Adaxes. In the odd case where you cannot make do with the built-in actions, the script you are looking for is likely out there in the repository, waiting to be discovered.

Updating objects using templates

Another area where Adaxes shines is when you need to update the properties of many objects, and do it quickly. Mergers and acquisitions or simply changes in corporate standards – such events can cause chaos in your directory if not handled in time.

Adaxes enables you to update object properties based on other properties without resorting to PowerShell. How? By using templates. For instance, updating the primary SMTP addresses of all users according to a new naming convention is as simple as typing in a line of text.

You are not limited to updating one property at a time. Select any number of objects, specify a template for every property you need to update, and Adaxes will do its magic. Yes, these are usually one-off tasks, but now they are swift and painless.

The fact that you don't need any scripts for bulk updates enables you to delegate yet another portion of your job to lower-level technical staff. Combine this with automation and management features, and you will realize that you barely need to do half the tasks you did before, if not less. Eventually, manual bulk management will drift out of your life, leaving an empty space that can be filled with the pursuit of new projects and new goals.