Active Directory Web Interface Customization

Softerra Adaxes equips Active Directory administrators, Help Desk technicians, auditors, and general users with a powerful and easy-to-use Active Directory Web Interface that enables them to handle many tasks related to Active Directory management, monitoring, and user self-service.

As no two companies are alike, the functions of one and the same role in two different companies can vary significantly. For example, while the responsibilities of Help Desk operators in company A can include only unlocking accounts and resetting passwords, Help Desk operators in company B can be in charge of enabling/disabling user accounts, modifying Exchange mailbox permissions, updating general user properties, changing group membership, etc. Consequently, Help Desk operators in company A and B require different operating environments that would suit their unique needs and demands.

Adaxes Web Interface can be configured to meet the unique requirements of each job role in your company, providing users with access only to the functionality and data they need and nothing more than that.

Web UI Customization Demo

Web Interface for Administrators, Help Desk, and Self-Service

Adaxes Web Interface is delivered already pre-configured for Administrators, Help Desk, and Self-Service. Default settings allow users to handle the tasks that are typically assigned to their job role:

• Web Interface for Administrators
  Allows administrators to carry out complete Active Directory management and administration activities.
• Web Interface for Help Desk
  Allows Help Desk operators to reset user passwords, unlock/enable/disable user accounts, add/remove users from groups, modify general properties of user accounts, etc.
• Web Interface for Self-Service
  Allows users to update their personal information in Active Directory, change passwords, search for their colleagues, and subscribe to distribution lists (provided they have appropriate permissions).

Using the user-friendly and intuitive Web Interface Customization tool, you can configure the Web Interface separately for Administrators, Help Desk, and Self-Service.

Customizing Forms and Views

You can modify how the Web Interface displays Active Directory objects and customize forms used for creation, modification, and renaming of objects. For each object type (User, Group, Contact, Computer, etc.), you can configure which fields users can view and edit, how these fields are grouped, configure options for group membership management, etc. If your Active Directory schema has been extended to support some custom attributes, the Web Interface can be easily configured to allow users to view and edit such attributes.

For more details, see Customize Forms for User Creation and Editing.

Configuring Operations on Active Directory Objects

You can control which operations users can perform in Active Directory via the Web Interface. It is possible to either completely disable an operation in the Web Interface, or disallow users to perform certain operations only within a specific Web Interface component. For example, you can hide the Delete operation only in the grid that displays Active Directory search results.

For more details, see Disallow Certain Operations on Active Directory Objects.

Customizing the Home Page

The Home page of Adaxes Web Interface can contain the Actions pane, Active Directory pane, and Business Units pane.

• The Actions pane allows users to perform frequently used operations right from the Home page. You can define which operations are available on this pane and configure various execution options for each operation. For example, you can allow the Reset Password operation to be executed only on the user accounts that match specific criteria and are located under a specific Organizational Unit.
  For more details, see Configure Home Page Actions.


• The Active Directory pane can display either managed Active Directory domains or specific Active Directory objects and Business Units. With the help of the Active Directory pane, users can quickly access objects located deeply in the Active Directory hierarchy without having the right to see their parent containers and Organizational Units.
  For more details, see Configure the Active Directory Pane.


• The Business Units pane displays the Business Units defined in Adaxes. Business Units are virtual Organizational Units that allow users to collectively view and manage Active Directory objects regardless of their location in the directory.
  For more details, see View & manage AD objects collectively.

For details on how to configure the Home page, see Customize the Home Page.

Managing Active Directory Objects of Any Type

By default, Adaxes Web Interface enables users to view and manage only Active Directory objects of commonly used types, like User, Group, Computer, Contact, and OU. However, Active Directory can contain objects of many other types; it is even possible to define your own object types by extending the Active Directory schema.

The Web Interface can be configured to enable users to manage objects of practically any type that is defined in the Active Directory schema. For each object type, you can change how objects of this type are displayed in the Web Interface and customize forms used for their creation and editing.

For more details, see Manage Active Directory Objects of a Custom Type.

You can also specify which types of Active Directory objects are displayed when users browse the directory and define which types are shown in the Browse drop-down dialog located on the Navigation Bar.
For more details, see Select the AD Object Types to be Displayed in the UI.

Setting Custom Messages for Changing/Resetting Passwords

It is possible to configure Adaxes Web Interface to display custom password policy messages when users change or reset passwords. Such messages can provide information about general password requirements, like minimum length and complexity. This will help users quickly choose compliant passwords and avoid account lockouts and unnecessary delays.

For more details, see Put a Custom Message on the Change Password Form.

Customizing Active Directory Search

The search requirements of different users differ depending on their role within the organization. While for regular users it is sufficient to search for their colleagues by some basic fields, like Name, Title, and Department, administrators may require to run more advanced queries to look for Active Directory objects by various account options, membership in groups, account expiration dates, etc.

To avoid overloading regular users with too many search options and simplify the user interface, you can enable them to search only for the information they need and only by a very limited set of search criteria.

For more details, see Customize Active Directory Search.

Customizing Active Directory Reports

Very often users need to use only a certain subset of Active Directory reports provided by Adaxes. For example, if you don't use Microsoft Exchange in your organization, you will never use Exchange-related reports like 'Users without Mailbox' or 'Mail Enabled Groups'. Adaxes allows you to hide specific Active Directory reports from users, and, if necessary, completely disable the Active Directory reports feature in the Web Interface.

For more details, see Hide Specific Active Directory Reports.

Configuring Columns in Active Directory Object Lists

In the Web Interface, lists of Active Directory objects are displayed in grids. You can define which columns are displayed in the grids by default and which columns users can select to view with the help of the Column Chooser. It is possible to apply different column settings to each Web Interface component separately (Search, Reports, Browsing, etc.).

For more details, see Configure Columns in Active Directory Object Lists.

Customizing Logo and Colors

To create a unique and branded look for Adaxes Web Interface, you can configure it to display your company logo and change the colors of some interface elements.
For more details, see Set Custom Logo and Colors.

Configuring Access Control for Web Interface

You can allow or deny access to the Web Interface for specific users or groups. For example, you can allow only the members of the Administrators group to access the Web Interface dedicated to administrators.

For more details, see Allow/Deny Access to the Web Interface.

Apart from the Active Directory Web Interface, Adaxes offers other features essential for a successful Active Directory management, including role-based delegation of rights, automated user provisioning, approval-based workflow, enforcement of enterprise standards, and more.