Organizational Unit Structure

The organizational unit structure is a term used for the architecture that organizes users, computers or other computing-related objects in a directory or other larger group.

Purpose

An organizational unit structure is often used in businesses or other organizations in order to allow for the effective administration of their information technology, including developing the delegation of administration of the computing system, and to organize objects within a single domain. This allows major changes to be made in a way that includes all users within an organization.

Structure Varieties

There are three main categories of organizational unit structures, according to Microsoft TechNet. One is a flat structure that features one or two administrative levels. Another is a narrow structure with three to five levels. The most complicated structure is a deep structure with more than five levels.

Nesting

Sometimes organizational units contain other organizational units, which is a practice known as nesting, according to TopBits.com. In this case, the structure of an organizational unit within another unit remains independent of the larger unit structure. Thus, each domain has its own organizational unit structure.

References

• TopBits.com: Understanding Organizational Units
• Inform IT: Designing Organizational Unit and Group Structure
• Microsoft Tech Net: Design Considerations for Organizational Unit Structure and Use of Group Policy Objects