Propose

they will regale you with tales involving heroic journeys throughout the land of windmills and tulips. From branch office to branch office they would go, working tirelessly to build and operate a centralized Windows network management solution. Each branch office had an essentially independent Windows network that was centrally managed through custom software services. Though the solution worked well for its time, it was becoming rapidly outdated and difficult to adapt to the newer information technologies.

The administrators were (and are) motivated to keep the systems functioning at peak performance with billions of Euros moving through their network daily. Any downtime, network outages, or unauthorized access could cost the company millions in a matter of minutes. The organization required a new network management solution to prepare them for the challenges of delivering 21st century financial services.

The introduction of Active Directory in Microsoft Windows 2000, promised a new, simpler, and more effective means of managing large numbers of Windows workstations and users. With Active Directory, the administrators had the tools to implement a robust, scalable, and extensible centralized workstation management solution that could grow with their business. This paper presents thejourney to implement a new enterprise Windows network using Active Directory throughout the branch offices in the Netherlands.

With the conversion to the Euro currency standard, they networks to ensure compatibility and compliance. This meant that they would have to replace many of their outdated workstations and networking technologies. The paper discusses: