ezaudit® Users Guide & Quick Start Guide

Updated 9/8/2023 (D/M/Y)

Changes on September 8 2023:

Apparently now it's "Entra" branding from Microsoft - but maybe depending on a convoluted mix of what your "domain" or "AD" is.
They didn't even bother to have a logo for it which screams "Throwing stuff at the wall" and confusion.

The below still applies as simple as this: You need to have an Active Directory Domain to do automated audits. Simple.
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If you have Azure AD or Azure AD Domain Services (Azure AD DS), this is good to go for you to get up and running with ezaudit.

It's as simple as creating a shared folder on the domain, and triggering an app at user logon via Group Policy, which can be handled via Intune.

Here is the Microsoft documentation for creating shares using AD DS

Here is the Microsoft documentation for Group Policy in an Azure Active Directory Domain Services managed domain

PSA: The Microsoft documentation for all things Azure is a massive sprawling monster with less than clear-cut "Here's how you do stuff". That would be too easy. So, the above are just a sampler and may not be the use-case for you. In the end, there are ways to replicate on-prem Domains, but it will vary based on your chosen Azure path.

This Quick Start Guide show you how to configure automated audits via Group Policy using a scheduled task.

If you are currently using logon scripts we also have a Quick Start Guide using a logon script.

Install ezaudit to any PC on your network on an account that has Admin permissions. You do not need to install onto a server.

Some basics about ezaudit that are good to know:

ezaudit does not require that you open or reserve any ports nor make any changes to your firewall.

There are no databases to install or configure.

There are no "agents" to install or push to any PC being audited.

There's nothing to install or run on your server.

ezaudit start working for all users when they next log in to your domain after you complete these three easy steps.

Step 1

Create a folder and subfolder on a server all your users can access. Typically that would be your domain server, but it doesn't need to be.

Example: If user files are in the D: drive, create D:\ezaudit\audits. That would translate to \\servername\ezaudit\audits.

Share the folders to a Users Group all users belong to. Typically that would be Domain Users, but it doesn't have to be.

Give the folders Read, Write, Create, Delete, Modify, Execute permissions to your users.

Step 2

Next run the ezaudit Configuration tool from the Admin Console > Tools tab.

There you can enter what you want to audit and how often as well as where to save the audits.

Put the location you just created and shared, so: \\servername\ezaudit\audits as where to run the audits from.

Save the configuration to the \\servername\ezaudit folder.

The tool will move the audit module files to the location for you.

As an advanced topic for later, you can have multiple configuration files for different purposes, but for now, all you need is the one configuration file.

Step 3

Automate the audits.

There are two choices, and we'll start with the fastest and easiest to do (and, we hope not, but) undo.

Create a scheduled task for all users via Group Policy:

Fire up gpmc.msc (not gpedit.msc) and do the steps as shown below:

Right-click the selection as shown and select Edit:

Go to User Configuration > Preferences > Control Panel Settings > Scheduled Tasks.

Right-click Scheduled Tasks, select New and choose "Scheduled Tasks (at least Windows 7)"

Start creating the task as shown:

Set the Action the task will perform:

Click Apply and Ok out.

Final note: You may want to remote into the server and do a GPUPDATE/FORCE at a command prompt to have it take immediate effect.

If you prefer you can use a logon script to automate your audits