Technician · Practitioner

Active Directory shape

• ▸Forest → Domain → OU (Organizational Unit) → Object. Group Policy links to OUs.
• ▸ADUC (Active Directory Users and Computers) for day-to-day account work.
• ▸Domain account = logs into any joined PC. Local account = one machine only.
• ▸Permissions: user → group → resource. Never user → resource direct.

Microsoft 365 / Entra essentials

• ▸Entra ID = the new Azure AD (Active Directory). The identity layer under everything M365 (Microsoft 365).
• ▸Admin Center: reset passwords, restore users (30-day window), assign licenses.
• ▸MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication): when a user loses their device, reset that user's auth methods — do not disable tenant MFA.
• ▸Shared mailboxes are free up to 50 GB; convert leaver mailboxes instead of buying a new license.

The RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) is a loaded weapon

An RMM agent lives on every endpoint. From one dashboard you can push patches, run scripts, take remote control. The same dashboard can break 5,000 machines in 10 seconds. Always scope: pilot group → department → client → all. Never the other way.

Troubleshooting method (CompTIA, but real)

• ▸1. Identify — ask, observe, reproduce.
• ▸2. Theorize — likely cause.
• ▸3. Test — cheapest test first.
• ▸4. Plan — write what you will change.
• ▸5. Implement — change one thing at a time.
• ▸6. Verify — with the user, not just yourself.
• ▸7. Document — the ticket is the deliverable.