Use and manage BYOD in a Windows Server 2008 environment

The company has had immediate results in allowing users to use their own devices and connect them to the internal network for work. The proposal to carry personal devices (BYOD) has indeed been turned on, but in many cases it will make Windows server administrators a little off guard. In the traditional working mode, the task of the server engineer is to protect their environment from malicious attacks, data loss, intrusions, and server-based host risks. Now, administrators have to deal with some foreign devices and allow them to access internal resources. Regardless of the terminal device the user uses, it needs to be placed on a Windows server. Tuning Existing Windows Server Security Practices Even if new terminal devices are plugged into the enterprise environment, engineers can successfully protect the environment and manage it effectively. Here are some tips and best practices for managing and enhancing the security of your BYOD environment. Using Group Policy (GPO) and Active Directory (AD): In terms of server management, the AD security group will do a lot when managing the BYOD environment. Engineers can control which applications, desktops, and workloads are delivered to end users. Administrators can also deploy the appropriate client to end user using GPO. This is important for seamlessly connecting user devices and maintaining a consistent client work experience. Proper use of GPO and AD security groups is the first step in effectively managing a BYOD environment. Careful permission monitoring: When users log in to their environment, there may be folder mapping and redirection. In a BYOD environment, users may still need a set of folders to use. Keep in mind that in this centrally managed environment, no end device can save any actual data. Still, proper folder and share management is very important. By monitoring and managing the permissions of existing folders, you can minimize the mistakes or accidental deletion of shares when users access their network resources using their own terminal devices. Using Access Control Lists (ACLs): Access control refers to the process by which authorized users, groups, or computers use rights, user rights, and audit objects to access network objects. ACLs can quickly become one of the most useful tools for server administrators to monitor and manage BYOD environments. Keep in mind that in Windows Server 2008, everyone, including guest users, can read and execute files in the root directory. Only authenticated users can create new files and folders, and when users create their own files or folders, they also get permission to modify them. Flexible use of ACLs in Windows Server 2008 environments can really help lock access from BYOD hardware. In addition, Windows Server 2008 provides administrators and developers with many useful tools to manage end users. The file system namespace for Windows Server 2008 has been significantly modified relative to Windows Server 2003. The current user data is saved in the C:\\Users directory, while other files and folders previously in C:\\Documents and Setting\\ \\ have been removed. This helps to separate document files from data files. Developers can now create their own folders in their own profiles without having to save all of their data files in “My Documents". In the Windows Server 2003 environment, the data files for all user applications are located in the directory Documents and Settings\\All Users\\Application Data, and by Windows Server 2008, it was moved to a hidden folder named %systemroot%\\ProgramData in. These folders can further monitor permissions. This helps prevent accidental deletion or unnecessary modification of user profiles. Update and management: In a virtualized environment, it is necessary to keep the server patches updated at all times. There are many ways to update, such as WSUS, third-party software, master image, and more. Keeping the security of the Windows server can prevent the security risks generated by BYOD devices. Even if users use their own devices, they can still access data resources on Windows servers. So these servers must be kept up to date and backed up. Image Management: Many administrators create snapshots of the primary image when virtualizing a Windows server. Then, clone it into a virtual machine and apply patches and updates to it in the test environment. At this point, the update can test for any incompatibilities on the quarantined server. In a production environment, if a patch update fails or a production management defect occurs, the server administrator can roll back the Windows environment to the last recent version. Terminal Access and Management: In addition to the need for applications or Web services to access Windows servers, it is important to keep a Windows server with a firewall or access to the gateway. In the BYOD environment, users can access their work environment from any location, on any device. So it is necessary to create a connection policy that accepts only connections to certain types of devices with the latest clients installed. This management helps prevent security breaches and improve the user experience. Monitoring of server connectivity and resource usage applies to both physical servers and virtual servers. In the server management of the BYOD environment, the imbalance of server load will waste resources of the Windows server environment. Administrators need 24 hours to monitor the usage of all and specific server resources in their environment. By looking for bottlenecks and then isolating, engineers will be able to quickly find and resolve faults before they impact users. The environment of each enterprise is different, so the management of BYOD activities will depend on the infrastructure of the servers in the environment. However, if administrators take the initiative to carefully plan and ensure that Windows server environment patches are updated, I believe they will be able to provide a powerful terminal solution based on existing server tools.