Just Enough Administration (JEA)

Just Enough Administration (JEA) is a security technology in Windows Server PowerShell that allows administrators to delegate administrative tasks to other users while limiting their permissions to only what is necessary for their tasks. The following are the features, functions, installation, configuration, attributes, and usage examples of Windows Server PowerShell JEA:

Features:

  1. Role-based access control: JEA allows administrators to delegate administrative tasks to other users based on predefined roles, limiting their permissions to only what is necessary for their tasks.
  2. Secure: JEA uses a least-privileged model to ensure that users are only able to perform the tasks they have been delegated.
  3. Auditing: JEA provides auditing capabilities to track user activity and monitor for any unauthorized actions.

Functions:

  1. Delegated Administration: JEA allows administrators to delegate administrative tasks to other users without giving them full administrative privileges.
  2. Role-based Access Control: JEA uses predefined roles to limit user permissions to only what is necessary for their tasks.

Installation and Configuration:

  1. System Requirements: JEA is included with Windows Server 2016 and later versions.
  2. Installation: JEA is installed by default with Windows Server 2016 and later versions.
  3. Configuration: JEA requires some configuration to enable delegated administration. This includes creating and configuring role definitions and creating session configurations.

Attributes:

  1. Role-based Access Control: JEA provides a secure and granular way to delegate administrative tasks based on predefined roles.
  2. Least-privileged Model: JEA ensures that users are only able to perform the tasks they have been delegated, reducing the risk of unauthorized access or misuse.
  3. Auditing Capabilities: JEA provides auditing capabilities to track user activity and monitor for any unauthorized actions.

Usage Examples:

  1. An administrator might use JEA to delegate the task of managing Active Directory users and groups to a Help Desk staff member. The administrator could define a role that allows the Help Desk staff member to perform only the necessary tasks, such as resetting passwords and unlocking accounts, without granting full administrative privileges.
  2. An administrator might use JEA to delegate the task of managing file shares to a file server administrator. The administrator could define a role that allows the file server administrator to manage file shares, but not have full access to the server.
  3. An administrator might use JEA to delegate the task of managing virtual machines to a virtualization administrator. The administrator could define a role that allows the virtualization administrator to manage virtual machines, but not have full administrative access to the virtualization host.

In summary, Just Enough Administration (JEA) is a security technology in Windows Server PowerShell that allows administrators to delegate administrative tasks to other users while limiting their permissions to only what is necessary for their tasks. It uses a least-privileged model to ensure that users are only able to perform the tasks they have been delegated, and provides auditing capabilities to track user activity and monitor for any unauthorized actions. JEA is installed by default with Windows Server 2016 and later versions and requires some configuration to enable delegated administration. Examples of usage include delegating tasks such as managing Active Directory, file shares, and virtual machines.

Author: tonyhughes