Building a Secure Active Directory

Why This Course?

Most AD environments are built without security in mind — leaving hidden escalation paths, weak configurations, and unprotected admin accounts. Attackers know exactly how to exploit these gaps.

This course shows you how to build Active Directory the right way — secure from day one — so you don’t spend years patching mistakes.

✔ Spot and remove weak configurations before attackers find them
✔ Apply security controls that block real-world AD attacks
✔ Build a hardened environment you can replicate in production

Who Should Take This Course?

🚫 Not for complete beginners. This course is designed for IT pros who already have basic Windows & Active Directory knowledge.

✔ Windows Administrators & Engineers → Build AD securely from the ground up using Microsoft best practices.
✔ Cybersecurity Engineers & SOC Analysts → Learn how to harden AD against modern attacks and spot weak configurations.
✔ IT Managers & Security Leads → Create a secure reference lab for testing and validating configurations before production rollout.
✔ Pentesters & Ethical Hackers → Understand hardened AD environments and the defenses that stop common attack paths.

What You’ll Learn

Master Active Directory hardening—build it right from the start, apply proven defenses, and secure it like a production environment.

Building the Environment

✔ Create your own AD lab from scratch — from Hyper-V setup to a fully functional domain
✔ Configure domain controllers, DNS, Sites & Services, and tiered administration hosts
✔ Simulate real-world infrastructure with WSUS, file server, and workstation

Hardening Active Directory

✔ Secure admin accounts & implement the Tiering Model
✔ Apply Kerberos armoring, LAPS, and advanced password policies
✔ Enforce Microsoft security baselines and Advanced Audit Policy
✔ Deploy Sysmon & logging to detect malicious activity
✔ Restrict delegation, secure domain join privileges, and remove risky legacy groups

Testing & Validation

✔ Validate defenses against common attack techniques
✔ Ensure hardened configurations block privilege escalation & lateral movement
✔ Build a permanent, reusable lab for ongoing testing and skill mastery

🎁 Bonus: Includes PDF guides, configuration checklists, and practical tips from real-world security audits.

System Requirements

This course is fully hands-on — you’ll build your own AD lab on your hardware.
No rented cloud labs — you keep your environment forever for testing & experiments.

💻 Recommended setup:

✔ 32 GB RAM
✔ External SSD for fast VM storage
✔ Run 3–4 VMs at once (each with 2 vCPUs & 4 GB RAM, dynamic)
Example: Intel Xeon Silver 4110 CPU 2.10 GHz — 8 Cores / 16 Threads = 128 vCPUs
✔ ~230 GB total disk space for all virtual machines

Works best on Hyper-V, but VMware & others are fine.
 You can also run a smaller 2-VM version for limited testing.

📩 Not sure if your hardware can handle it? Contact us — we’ll help you evaluate.

Course Format & Key Features

✔ 13+ hours of structured learning → Build & harden Active Directory step-by-step
✔ 11+ hours of practical demonstrations → Follow every configuration in real time
✔ Certification included → Get proof of your AD hardening skills
✔ Downloadable guides & checklists → Keep them as a permanent reference
✔ Free security tools & resources → LAPS, Sysmon configs, security baselines
✔ Zero-Day alert service → Stay informed on critical threats
✔ Risk-free enrollment → 14-day money-back guarantee

Why Learn With Me?

✔ Taught by a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) and Cybersecurity Engineer with 8+ years of experience.

→ I started as a Windows Administrator—learning security the hard way. That’s why this course gives you practical, real-world insights, not just theory. It’s the training I wish I had.

✔ Real-world insights, not just theory.
✔ Focused on practical security—fix misconfigurations, detect attackers, and protect infrastructure.

🚀 Ready to Build & Harden your own Active Directory?

Want the Full Picture?

If you want to go beyond the hands-on build and master the theory, attacks, and defenses behind Active Directory and Windows Infrastructure security, pair this course with our Windows Infrastructure Security program.

Best Value → Get the bundle of both courses and gain the complete skill set:

✔ Windows Infrastructure Security — Deep-dive theory, attacker techniques, and defensive strategies across Windows & AD.
✔Building a Secure Active Directory — Step-by-step hands-on lab, building & hardening your own secure AD environment.

💡 Ideal for IT pros who want to truly own the domain of securing Windows infrastructures from both the conceptual and practical sides.

Course video samples: