Micro Focus has released a new version of its hybrid policy management solution, AD Bridge 2.0, enabling admins to extend Active Directory (AD) controls from on-premises resources, including Windows and Linux devices to the cloud.
“We have customers that are managing thousands of GPOs (Group Policy Objects) for their on-premises systems and have invested significant time and money in fine-tuning and deploying policy to protect their Windows assets,” said Nick Nikols, VP of strategy at Micro Focus.
“The release of AD Bridge 2.0 helps them achieve that and more by providing even more control over resources such as on-premises and cloud-based Linux.”
It is estimated that 95% of enterprises use Active Directory to manage security and configuration for their Windows environment.
With AD Bridge 2.0, organisations can use existing infrastructure authentication, security as well as policy, to simplify the migration of on-premises Linux Active Directory to the cloud, helping secure and manage Linux virtual machines in the cloud.
“We have optimised Azure to fully support Linux virtual machines because we recognise that Microsoft users want the freedom to leverage a variety of operating systems in the cloud,” said Boris Baryshnikov, principal program manager at Microsoft.
“Migrating on-premises Linux to Azure provides customers many benefits, such as increased resiliency, modernised workplace management, and access to third-party services.”
According to Micro Focus, the continue rise of Linux means it’s critical for organisations adopting cloud based-solutions like Azure and Office 365 to implement stricter policy-level controls to cloud-based Linux and Windows systems.
