Active Directory – Simple Tier Isolation

1) WMI Filters

Create WMI filter that will identify devices for each tier. In the article three tiers are used, domain controllers, servers and workstations. This provides a balance between security and simplification but this can easily be extended to other devices or server types.

WMI filter for workstations ProductType 1

WMI filter for domain controllers ProductType 2

WMI filter for servers ProductType 3

2) Groups

Create a group for each tier. This will hold the members for each tier.

Tier isolation security groups in Active Directory

3) Group Policies

Create a group policy for each tier. It should filter based on the tier type and will contain the allow/deny rules.

Tier 0 GPO for domain controllers

Tier 0 GPO user rights assignment settings

Tier 1 GPO for servers

Tier 1 GPO user rights assignment settings

Tier 2 GPO for workstations

Tier 2 GPO user rights assignment settings

4) Add members to tier groups

Finally, add your dedicated DA accounts to tier 0 group, dedicated server administrators accounts to tier 1 group. Accounts will now only be able to log in locally or via RDP if they are meant for the specific tier

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