Reviewer, 2009-04-06 05:11:00

NetWrix Password Expiration Notifier is the application that periodically checks users in specified Active Directory domains and sends report to the administrator`s e-mail when one or more passwords are about to expire.

Features: Password expiration is a frequent cause of many IT support issues.

It causes helpdesk calls from end users as well as productivity losses. Windows automatically notifies users of impending password expiration during interactive logon, but in some scenarios—for example, when users have AD accounts only for VPN, Outlook Web Access (OWA), and file shares—users never actually log on interactively and see this standard Windows notification. The Password Expiration Notifier periodically checks all users in the specified Active Directory domain or OU to detect ones whose passwords are about to expire in a specified number of days, and then sends customizable notification e-mails to the account owners. The tool also sends summary reports to system administrators by e-mail. Armed with this tool, administrators can proactively resolve password expiration issues for end-users and service accounts.

It has a "plan & test" feature which allows the administrator to check how many users might get affected if a particular policy change is made. He does not have to actually disturb the users or change AD setting to do this testing. Major regulatory compliance regulations, such as SOX and HIPAA, require implementation of strong password policies and usually force passwords to be changed every 90 days or so. The product helps you to meet those requirements easily. The product sends friendly reminders by e-mail to users whose passwords are about to expire. Notification e-mails include the account name and password expiration time, prompting users to change their passwords as soon as possible to avoid logon problems. E-mail notifications can include a link to the self-service password management system for quickly changing the password and further simplifying life for both the users and the IT helpdesk.

Overall: This manages an important aspect of administration and regulatory compliance.