Compliancy blues got you down? ADAudit Plus can help. I’ve used this tool in the past for monitoring SOX, PCI, HIPAA, and FISMA compliance, and can only say good things about it.
If you have ever been a system administrator at a company that has compliance requirements, you know the pain of working with auditors to provide information to prove it. Endless reports, screen shots, and the like. It can be a real pain if you don’t have the right tools.
When I first used ADAudit Plus, it was still in its early stages, and wasn’t much more than an event log monitor, checking event logs on target servers at pre-defined intervals. The package has become much more robust in recent incarnations however, and can now monitor compliance in real time.
What does it monitor?
There is a lot that this tool monitors. I’ve used the package quite a bit, but never used all the tools that this package has available.
Here is the list; forgive me if I miss something.
- User Logins – Audit the critical user workstation logon & logoff time to monitor the logon duration, logon failures, logon history and terminal services activity. View & Schedule graphical reports with Email alerts for periodic analysis & quick response during security threats.
- Windows Servers – Track the Logon/Logoff, Schedule to track events like RADIUS Logon, Terminal Services Activity, Logon Duration and Logon History. Audit related processes can be kept tab by Tracking Windows Schedule jobs.
- File Servers – Securely track the file creation, modification & deletion from an authorized / unauthorized access, with detailed forensics of security and permission changes to the documents in their files / folder structure and shares.
I’ve used ADAudit Plus in the past to track down where users are getting locked out, who changed what permissions where, who deleted a file, who created a file, and a few other items. But it really shines when it comes to audit time.
There are over 200 reports specifically for audit purposes, which can be scheduled, or run on demand. Did I mention that alerts on object changes are also available in this product?
I highly recommend this tool, even if you don’t have audit or compliance requirements.
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
URL: https://www.manageengine.com/products/active-directory-audit/
Price: Starts at $495 for Standard Edition, $795 for the Professional Edition. Free trial (30 days) of both editions available.