Author: Nelson R. Acevedo | Cybersecurity Student
Date: January 2026
This lab demonstrates the deployment and hardening of a Windows Active Directory domain in a virtualized environment.
It simulates a small enterprise with centralized user management, Group Policy enforcement, access control, and security monitoring.
- Created a Windows Domain and joined a Windows 11 client
- Configured OU structure via active directory: IT, HR, Users
- Configured Group Policies and security measures
- Set up secure file shares with NTFS and Share permissions
- Monitored user activity using Audit logs
- Troubleshot DNS and GPO issues
- VMware Workstation
- Windows Server 2022
- Windows 11 Client
- Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
- DNS, Group Policy Management
This project demostrates skills important for helpdesk, such as:
- Creating and managing domain user accounts
- Troubleshooting domain join and DNS issues
- Configuring and validating Group Policy settings
- Managing file access permissions using security groups
- Monitoring login activity and investigating user issues
For detailed setup, screenshots, and step-by-step instructions, download the full lab report:
Documentation/Active-Directory-Lab-Report.pdf
OU Structure
Group Policies
