What is a group policy?
A collection of configuration settings that can be applied on to objects in the Active Directory
Group policies can be set at the domain level, the OU level and the Site level
They can control such things as logon scripts, start menu items, desktop shortcuts and much much more
In a large organisation which uses group policies there would be a Group Policy Administrator who would control them
Lower TCO (Total
Cost of Ownership)
No lost productivity due to user errors such as changing configuration or
deleting system files
Improved security
The desktop environment can be locked down
Enhanced user environment
Applications can be automatically installed
Tasks can be automated at logon/logoff or start-up/shut-down
Who can edit group policies?
Administrators
Creator/Owners
A user who has been given the relevant permissions (ie read and write you cannot view a policy in read-only mode)
Inheritance?
If a policy is applied to a high level (parent) container, it is passed down to all containers beneath (child).