I'm new to my current employer, being their only Sysadmin. I'm seeing a small handful of users who have User Logon Names which don't conform to the naming convention standard which majority of users are set to. This would be first name and first initial of last name. Some users have first name underscore last name. Needless to say, I'd like to make them conform to the standard.
Before making the change in Active Directory to adhere to the new standard, is there anything I need to be aware of that will help me as I make the change? Is there a good way and a bad way of making this change?
Looking for advice on the best practices when changing a User Logon Name.
Thank you in advance!
Best Answer
A few things will need to be considered:
1) The users will have to log in with the new name and should be informed.
2) If they use Exchange, their email addresses will also change (I believe).
3) if they don't use Exchange but another email system, the authentication could potentially be mismatched and mapped incorrectly. This highly depends on your environment.
4) Again, environment-specific, but you also have to be mindful of any third-party apps that authenticate against AD. Some will behave fine; others will not.
The best way is to test with a single account and see what breaks. To me, it's not worth the hassle if it's not breaking anything.
Edit: Also, this could potentially break redirects if in-use and roaming profiles.