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Downtime Is Dangerous: Why Identity Resilience is Now Mission-Critical for Healthcare

Beyond Access: How Healthcare IT Can Cut Costs, Shrink Attack Surfaces, and Protect Patient Data with Smart Automation

In healthcare, behind every login is a nurse, a physician, and—most importantly—a patient in need. When identity systems fail, care delivery comes to a halt. That reality has been underscored by recent breaches, where stolen credentials, dormant admin accounts, and lateral movement across hybrid systems have caused not just IT outages, but also treatment delays, patient diversions, and canceled surgeries.

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NTLM Relay Attack Prevention: A Checklist for Active Directory Security

TL;DR Active Directory environments face severe risks from an NTLM relay attack, which exploits the lack of mutual authentication in legacy protocols to intercept credentials and gain unauthorized network access. Organizations can mitigate these vulnerabilities by phasing out NTLM in favor of Kerberos, enforcing SMB signing, and implementing strict privilege

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Cayosoft joins the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association

Enhanced Windows LAPS Password View and Management

Introduction  In our commitment to provide robust Active Directory, Entra ID, and M365 security, monitoring, and recovery Cayosoft Guardian is rolling out new features designed to make your security processes more streamlined and secure. With the latest update, we’re introducing modern LAPS management capabilities directly in the product.  Feature Highlights 

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Enhanced Security and Deployment with gMSA and AD Connector

In our commitment to provide robust Active Directory, Entra ID, and M365 security, monitoring, and recovery Cayosoft Guardian is rolling out new features designed to make your security processes more streamlined and secure. With the latest update, we’re introducing Group Managed Service Account (gMSA) integration and the AD Connector feature,

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Active Directory Security Best Practices: Key NSA Guidelines

Most global businesses run hybrid AD environments, and following active directory security best practices is critical when combining on-premises and cloud services to secure both Active Directory (AD) and Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). Both systems manage identity and access control, making them prime targets for attackers aiming to

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K-12 Ransomware Protection: Securing Schools’ AD & Entra ID

As K-12 schools increasingly rely on digital services and key infrastructure such as Active Directory and Entra ID for authentication and access to support education services. We continue to see an increase with being targeted by Ransomware groups and falling victim to ransomware attacks, putting sensitive data and education services

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Qilin Ransomware: How to Detect & Protect Against This Exploit

Qilin ransomware has emerged as a significant threat to organizations, particularly those relying heavily on Active Directory for managing their IT infrastructure. Qilin ransomware has adopted a new method for stealing credentials from Google Chrome browsers by leveraging Active Directory Group Policy. In this guide, we will explore how Qilin

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FSMO Roles: The Hidden Key to Resilient Active Directory

At the heart of every well-functioning Active Directory (AD) environment lies a set of unsung heroes: Flexible Single Master Operation (FSMO) roles. These specialized roles hold the keys to your AD’s resilience, stability, and recoverability. While they may not be the most glamorous aspect of AD management, understanding and safeguarding

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Mastering Microsoft 365 Governance: Active Directory Guide

TL;DR Effective Microsoft 365 governance relies on strategic Active Directory management to secure user identities, enforce role-based access control, and automate the user lifecycle in hybrid environments. By utilizing automation and centralized reporting, organizations can mitigate security risks, streamline administrative tasks, and maintain strict regulatory compliance across all group types.

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Managing Active Directory in a Zero Trust World

Applying a Zero Trust strategy to Active Directory management reduces your identity threat landscape, enhances access controls and segmentation, enforces just-in-time access, and improves monitoring and incident response. Overall, this approach strengthens your identity platform and makes it more resilient. In this blog, learn how Zero Trust strategy and principles

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Securing Active Directory Against DCSync Attacks

DCSync attacks remain a persistent threat to Active Directory (AD) security. These attacks cleverly exploit normal AD replication processes, allowing hackers to secretly extract sensitive password hashes. This access can pave the way for widespread exploits across your network. Given the prevalence of DCSync attacks, IT professionals must be equipped

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Active Directory Best Practices for Management in 2026

TL;DR Modern organizations must prioritize Active Directory best practices by transitioning from manual management to automated workflows to mitigate risks like human error and sophisticated cyberattacks. Implementing strategies such as the principle of least privilege, automated user lifecycle management, and continuous auditing ensures a secure and resilient IT infrastructure. In

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Securing SYSVOL: Threats, Protection, and Recovery

What is SYSVOL and Why is it Important? For many IT professionals, the system volume (SYSVOL) might seem like just another shared folder. However, if not properly protected, it represents a critical security vulnerability within every Active Directory domain controller. SYSVOL stores the essential files and scripts that govern user

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Active Directory Software: Top 7 Enterprise Requirements

Understanding the Complexities of Enterprise IT Security The Microsoft Digital Defense Report reveals a concerning trend: 93% of Microsoft’s ransomware incident response engagements uncovered insufficient controls on privilege access and lateral movement. This illustrates that companies need to strengthen their user management and security in 2024. The growing trend underlines

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Active Directory Authentication Explained

Getting Smart with Active Directory Authentication Let’s talk about Active Directory authentication, a key player in your IT environment’s security. In simple terms, it’s like the main gatekeeper of your organization’s IT environment, deciding who gets in and what they can do. This isn’t just about keeping bad guys out,

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Active Directory Cleanup: Top 8 Best Practices

TL;DR Regular Active Directory cleanup optimizes system performance and strengthens security by removing obsolete objects, inactive accounts, and unoptimized Group Policy Objects. Implementing automated monitoring and metadata maintenance ensures long-term regulatory compliance while reducing the risks associated with unauthorized access and replication errors. Top Best Practices for Optimal Performance |

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Active Directory Schema: Essentials & Backup Strategy

Understanding Active Directory Schema Before we dive into the backup, let’s clear up what an Active Directory schema is. Simply put, the Active Directory schema is a set of definitions that outline what kinds of objects and information about those objects can be stored in Active Directory. Think of it

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Why You Need to Recover Active Directory Forest

Essential Considerations to Recover Your Active Directory Forest Active Directory isn’t just a part of your IT infrastructure, it’s the forgotten central hub that keeps everything running smoothly. But with great power comes great responsibility – and vulnerability. It’s a primary target for attackers and any disruption will send ripple

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Enhancing IT Agility with Automated User Provisioning in Active Directory

Understanding Automated User Provisioning in Active Directory In the world of IT, manual management of user provisioning and deprovisioning feels as outdated as a floppy disk. Just imagine trying to juggle countless user profiles across diverse on-premise and cloud environments—it’s a logistical nightmare. Enter the era of automated user provisioning

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Selecting the Right Tools to Manage Active Directory in 2024

How to Choose the Best Tools to Manage Active Directory In the changing world of IT management, choosing the right tools to manage Active Directory is very important. Active Directory is the main system for managing identities and access in your organization. It needs a strong solution that simplifies operations,

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Is it Time for your Microsoft Enterprise Agreement Renewal?

Resources to Optimize Microsoft 365 (Formerly Office 365) License Management and Reduce Costs For organizations with 500 or more users or devices, that want a more manageable volume licensing program, the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) provides the ability to buy cloud services and software licenses under one agreement. These enterprise agreements are

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Cayosoft Guardian “Clearly Delivers on Its Promises;” Gets 4.6/5 Rating From Microsoft MVP

Microsoft MVP Nuno Mota reviewed Cayosoft Guardian, a solution for Azure and hybrid AD recovery and protection.  The review, which includes some useful tips on requirements, step-by-step installation, and product functions, gave Guardian 4.6/5 rating. “Guardian clearly delivers on its promises. Its continuing monitoring and protection of on-premises and/or Azure Active Directories guarantees

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Class-action lawsuit has accused Microsoft of sharing customer data

A lawsuit has been filed with Microsoft for allegedly sharing the content of business customers’ emails, documents, contacts, calendars, location data, audio files, and video files, among other forms of data, without consent.  According to the lawsuit, Microsoft is routinely sharing business customers’ data, including personal and corporate information, with Facebook and other third parties

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Exchange Online Down in Europe – EX216336

Reports are showing up online that users may be unable to connect to the Exchange Online service. Several users here at Cayosoft report not being able to connect to the full-Outlook client to Exchange Online, however the web based version of Outlook appears to be working. Current status as of

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5 Keys To Successful Group Management in Hybrid Microsoft Environments

In collaboration with Microsoft MVP Joel Oleson, based on a recent webinar that we jointly delivered. It was difficult enough to keep Active Directory group memberships secure and accurate before Microsoft Azure Active Directory/Microsoft 365 which throws new group types and group settings into the mix.  Today’s hybrid environments more

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Azure Active Directory Security Defaults—not for everyone

Microsoft’s powerful array of cloud offerings—Microsoft Azure, Dynamics, and Office 365—offer paths to business growth without the huge capital investment. Most organizations on the cusp of implementing and experimenting with those services may not make security  the first priority in the quest for productivity. The first phase of the exciting journey

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Microsoft Azure AD Single Sign-on Now Free to Customers

Microsoft announced any customer using a subscription of a commercial online service can connect all their cloud applications to Azure AD for single sign-on (SSO), and protect this access with multi-factor authentication (MFA) as a security default at no extra cost.  SSO reduces the number of sign-in prompts for employees and enables one-click access

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How to Recover an Azure Conditional Access Policy

According to Microsoft, “Conditional Access is the tool used by Azure Active Directory (AAD) to bring signals together, to make decisions, and enforce organizational policies.”  Conditional Access policies are an effective replacement and improvement over user login restrictions provided in on-premises Active Directory (AD). Conditional Access Policies are also present

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3 Reasons The Recycle Bin Won’t Always Protect You Against Accidental Deletions to Azure Active Directory and Hybrid AD

The Active Directory and Azure AD Recycle Bins exist as tools for protecting you against the accidental deletion of directory objects…but not all of them. If an administrator accidentally deletes an Active Directory user account, for example, it is possible to retrieve the deleted user from the Recycle Bin. Even so, the Recycle Bin has a number

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6 Tips to Optimize and Reduce Microsoft Office 365 Licensing Costs 

Microsoft’s Office 365 platform provides dozens of license options, which allow customers to tailor the service to their specific requirements and budgets. This flexibility is great, but it does put the onus on each customer to make smart decisions about license usages to get the most value from Office 365. To optimize investment in Office

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Microsoft Sees 775% Spike in Some Areas

Microsoft is experiencing a large increase in Microsoft Teams, Windows Virtual Desktop, and Power BI, which are powered by Microsoft Azure — the second largest cloud services provider behind Amazon Web Services (AWS).  “We have seen a 775 percent increase of our cloud services in regions that have enforced social

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