Directory Services is an integral component of the solutions an enterprise data center should offer its clients.  It is advisable to initiate a project to migrate and consolidate the Corporate departments, existing directory services, including Windows, Netware, and any others.  It is recommended to consolidate all directory services to a single platform, like Microsoft Active Directory. The goals of this project are:

• Reduction in the number of directory services domains to manage and maintain (Potential Cost Saving)
• Potential reduction in the total cost of ownership of deparment desktops and servers when utilizing Active Directory services such as Group Policies for software distribution and policy management, integrated dynamic DNS, file and print services including directory published printers, application integration with AD for single sign on, and many more (Potential Cost Saving)
• Allow for a consolidation of messaging (email)) services onto a single platform (Potential Cost Saving)
• Fewer servers are needed to support the directory services infrastructure (Cost Saving and Cost Avoidance)
  
  Based on previous experience with directory services consolidations and migrations, a reduction of 75% of domains is likely, along with a reduction of the associated hardware for those domains.
  

   

  
  

  The current spending on directory services and its upkeep are unknown to the CNIC project team.  A complete assessment of the organization’s current directory services environment including a business case to quantify potential savings would take approximately 4-6 weeks.  Typical annual cost savings for this type of effort range from 10% – 20%.

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  The high-level approach to consolidating directory services would consist of the following steps
• Inventory the existing Windows and Novell directories and collect requirements
• Assess current directory services environment, build business case Review assessment with Program Managers and make “go/no go” decision
• Design the new directory services structure
  Execution plan for directory services build out, consolidation, and migration
• Plans for Retirement/repurpose of unneeded infrastructure servers
• Once the directory services are consolidated, an email consolidation can be performed that will further reduce maintenance and support costs. See the next section Messaging (Email) Consolidation Project for details on this effort