AD DS Design Document
Published: August 31, 2025
NorthStar Consulting – AD DS Implementation Plan Prepared by: Justin Van Den Hurk Date: 31/08/2025
1. Business Requirements
- Centralized user management (move away from workgroup setup).
- Secure file storage with access based on department.
- Support for growth (up to 50 users in next 3 years).
- Simple Group Policies (passwords, drive mapping, desktop settings).
2. Domain Design
- Domain name:
northstar.local
- Forest: Single forest, single domain.
- Domain Controllers:
- DC1 (Primary – DNS, DHCP, AD DS)
- (Optional later) DC2 (Redundancy)
3. Organizational Units (OUs)
DirectorsConsultantsReceptionHRMarketingAccountsShared Resources
4. User & Group Strategy
- Users: One per employee, format
firstname.lastname
- Groups:
HR_StaffAccounts_StaffConsultants_StaffMarketing_StaffReception_Staff
- Principle of Least Privilege: Restrict HR/Accounts to department only.
5. File Share Plan
\\northstar\Public – Everyone\\northstar\Consultants – Consultants + Director\\northstar\HR – HR + Director\\northstar\Accounts – Accounts + Director\\northstar\Marketing – Marketing + Director
6. Group Policies (initial)
- Password policy: 8+ characters, complexity, 90-day change.
- Department drive mapping.
- Desktop wallpaper (company logo).
- USB storage blocked for HR + Accounts.
7. Testing & Rollout
- Join test workstation.
- Verify logon, drive mapping, permissions.
- Pilot with HR + Consultant accounts.
- Roll out to rest of staff.
4. User & Group Strategy
- Users: One per employee, format
firstname.lastname
- Groups:
HR_StaffAccounts_StaffConsultants_StaffMarketing_StaffReception_Staff
- Principle of Least Privilege: Restrict HR/Accounts to department only.
5. Users & Groups Assignment
northstar.local- DC1 (Primary – DNS, DHCP, AD DS)
- (Optional later) DC2 (Redundancy)
DirectorsConsultantsReceptionHRMarketingAccountsShared Resourcesfirstname.lastnameHR_StaffAccounts_StaffConsultants_StaffMarketing_StaffReception_Staff
\\northstar\Public – Everyone\\northstar\Consultants – Consultants + Director\\northstar\HR – HR + Director\\northstar\Accounts – Accounts + Director\\northstar\Marketing – Marketing + Directorfirstname.lastnameHR_StaffAccounts_StaffConsultants_StaffMarketing_StaffReception_Staff
| Department | User | Username | Security Group | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Sarah Brown | sarah.brown |
Directors | Access all departments |
| Consultants | John Smith | john.smith |
Consultants_Staff | Project files |
| Consultants | Emily Jones | emily.jones |
Consultants_Staff | Project files |
| Reception | Alex White | alex.white |
Reception_Staff | Shared resources only |
| HR | Maria Green | maria.green |
HR_Staff | Confidential data |
| Marketing | James Black | james.black |
Marketing_Staff | Creative assets |
| Accounts | Linda Grey | linda.grey |
Accounts_Staff | QuickBooks access |