Using Active Directory with Your Mass Notification System

Complementing your mass notification system with an Active Directory integration can provide a convenient and secure way to manage users, data and security.

Active Directory is a popular authentication and authorization service with businesses and organizations of virtually all sizes. Because of its ability to nimbly manage permissions and integrate  devices and applications, it has fast become a favorite of network administrators as a service and server management tool. Technet reports that 95% of the Fortune 1000 uses it.

Active Directory enables administrators to create centralized resources and security while allowing for single logon access for users. The primary benefits are a more streamlined organization and enhanced network security.

Bringing Mass Notifications Into the Mix
Once a successful Active Directory structure is in place, adding your organization’s mass communication features makes excellent sense. Because syncing and creating new contacts can be done from virtually any application included in Active Directory (and shared with other connected applications), an integration from your mass notification platform to the rest of your structure helps keep data up to date and accessible to those who need it. It also allows administrators to assign contacts to groups and establish different permissions for contact groups. Since Active Directory’s cornerstone capability is that of a contact database, integrating a mass notification system can create a bridge between platforms that keeps data synced and accessible to users throughout your organization.

The Case for Active Directory Integration
Regroup Mass Notification offers an optional Active Directory integration that enables you to connect your Azure, Exchange or Office365 Active Directory services to its platform. This simplifies contact synchronization as well as authentication management.

Additionally, Regroup’s platform supports SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language), LDAP/LDAP/S (Lightweight Directory Access Portal), and CAS (Central Authentication Service) for secure SSO authentication. Managing organizational credentials through a single service will enable greater security as well as a simpler, more unified user experience.

This also contributes to best practices for Active Directory auditing. Collecting data from Active Directory objects for the purpose of analyzing and reporting is made a lighter task when such integrations exist. Regular Active Directory audits can help mitigate security risks and address permissions issues that allow attackers to exploit secured networks. Since Regroup’s platform can be integrated with your Active Directory services, scanning for contacts, accounts, accesses and more becomes a more unified form of auditing and security triage.

Unifying Access Management and User Experience
Most organizations are interested in improving efficiency and reducing costs. For companies and other concerns, unifying identity solutions can simplify the end-user experience while eliminating the need for additional IT attention, audits and solutions.

By implementing an Active Directory integration with a platform like Regroup, administrators are better able to maintain budget constraints, improve ROI and provide a less complicated experience for those within their network. The active directory integration also supports enterprise-class single sign-on that keeps end-users access and workflow more convenient, simplified and secure.

When incorporating Regroup Mass Notification’s Active Directory option, small, medium and large organizations can save employees and team members significant time, ensure maximum network security and introduce a more simplified approach — thus reducing IT and help desk intervention.

How Regroup Integrates
Thousands of companies and organizations already know Regroup as the most-trusted name in emergency alerts and everyday communications. And, with so many already using Active Directory and its complementary applications and services, it only made sense for Regroup to ensure its clients had a simplified integration.

Along with our award-winning mass notification system, Regroup Active Directory integration allows a simple step-by-step interface for importing your entire contact list or selected contacts only. These are easily synced with your Active Directory system, automatically, for optimum accuracy and reliability.

Plus, we enable SSO for your Regroup network using your current Active Directory authentication, giving your end-users a more simplified experience.

Your Next Steps
We encourage you to download our Active Directory Integration guide. This quick read will tell you more about Regroup’s optional integration and how it can help you enhance security, accuracy and user experience.

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