Mac Group Policy Features and Benefits

Features and Benefits

Tying Apple's Managed Client Solution to Active Directory Group Policy
Authentication Services delivers Mac preferences and settings from Active Directory Group Policy directly to Apple Computer’s managed client solution. This native integration allows existing Apple applications, such as the System Profiler, to see and display preference settings from Active Directory Group Policy.

Preferences and Policies
Authentication Services Group Policy for Mac supports Mac Workgroup Manager preferences and policies. It provides intuitive and powerful management of thousands of settings including:

Finder
Media access
Dock settings
System preferences
Login
Application
Classic
Universal access
Network
Software update
Energy saver
Parental controls
Time machine
Preference manifests

Extend Group Policy Management to Third-party Applications
Apple’s best practices recommend that third-party solutions for Mac applications include a Preference Manifest File that defines setting types and allowable values. Group Policy for Mac automatically interprets the Preference Manifest file and includes it in the user interface, providing a single point of Group Policy management from Active Directory.

Active Directory Settings Extended to the Mac
Authentication Services also extends many powerful Windows identity and access management polices to the Mac environment for:

Passwords
Account lockout
Kerberos
User rights assignment
Security options

Purpose Built User Interface

Authentication Services uses an intuitive and familiar Group Policy management interface that makes it easy to locate and manage Mac OS X settings and preferences from Active Directory.

Active Directory Authentication
Authentication Services' patented technology natively implements Kerberos and LDAP on Unix, Linux, and Mac systems the same way they are in Windows. This provides Mac users a single, secure and compliant authentication tool for both Windows and Mac resources. Bringing Mac OS X into the Active Directory “trusted realm” immediately enables single sign on. A single log in on the Mac desktop provides access to all Mac resources, as well as any other integrated systems or applications, including Windows, SAP, Siebel, Oracle Databases and DB2.