Understanding how email groups and permissions work in a contemporary ICT environment can be a bit of a maze, especially if you are not dire...
Understanding how email groups and permissions work in a contemporary ICT environment can be a bit of a maze, especially if you are not directly involved in the administration of your systems and may be a level or two removed from the jargon .
You might have heard terms like "dynamic distribution list" or "mail-enabled security group" used interchangeably and not been aware that there are differences in the two, especially when both seem to deliver emails. This distinction, while technical, can help anyone better understand what it exactly that they are asking for.
The below will hopefully help to demystify these terms and clarify the difference between Dynamic Distribution Lists and Orchestrator-Managed (Mail-Enabled) Security Groups.
The "Distribution List" Misconception
From an end-user's perspective, a "distribution list" (or group) is simple: an email address you send to, and everyone in the group receives the message. Whether it's a "Sales Team" group or an "All Staff" group, the experience for the end user is the same. However, behind the scenes, your ICT teams distinguish between different types of groups, each with its own purpose and management method.
The core of the confusion often lies here ... just because a group can receive emails doesn't mean it's a dynamic distribution list.
Understanding Dynamic Distribution Lists (DDLs)
Let's start with the classic "Dynamic Distribution List"
Primary Purpose: Exclusively for email distribution.
- How Membership Works: "Dynamic" by Definition. This is the key differentiator. DDLs are managed directly by Microsoft Exchange (or Exchange Online in Microsoft 365). Their membership isn't a fixed list of users. Instead, it's defined by a query or filter based on user attributes in Active Directory.
- Example: Imagine a DDL called "Darwin Operations Team." Its membership might be defined by a query like: "Include all users where 'Department' is 'Operations' AND 'City' is 'Darwin'."
If a new employee joins the company, is assigned to the Operations department, and their city is set to Darwin, they are automatically and instantly included in the "Darwin Operations Team" DDL. No manual intervention is needed. Similarly, if someone leaves the operations department, they're automatically removed. - Management: Defined and managed within Exchange administration tools.
- Permissions: DDLs cannot be used to assign permissions to resources (eg. you can't grant a DDL access to a shared folder on a network drive). Their sole purpose is email routing.
Unpacking Orchestrator-Managed Mail-Enabled Security Groups
Now, let's look at another common group type that, while also used for emails, serves a different primary function and is managed differently.
Primary Purpose: Primarily for security and resource permissions.
- How Membership Works: "Managed Automation" (Not Dynamic in the DDL Sense). An Active Directory (AD) security group is fundamentally designed to grant access to resources. For example, the group "Finance Audit Team" might be granted permissions to a specific SharePoint site, a sensitive network share, and a financial reporting application.
- Mail-Enabled: Critically, an AD security group can be "mail-enabled." This means an email address is assigned to it (e.g., financeaudit@yourcompany.com.au). When someone sends an email to this address, all current members of the security group receive it.
- Orchestrator Management: When a security group is described as "managed via Orchestrator" (or a similar automation platform), it means its membership isn't updated manually by an IT administrator, nor is it dynamically queried by Exchange. Instead, an external automation system (like Microsoft System Center Orchestrator, a custom HR provisioning system, or even a sophisticated script) is responsible for adding or removing users from this AD security group.
- Example: The "Finance Audit Team" group might have its membership updated nightly by an Orchestrator runbook that queries your HR system. If someone's job role changes to "Internal Auditor," the Orchestrator automation adds them to the security group. If they move to a different role outside the audit function, the automation removes them.
- Management: The group itself is an AD object. Its membership is controlled by an external automation platform, which in turn updates the AD object.
- Permissions: Yes, these groups can be used to assign permissions to any AD-integrated resource (files, folders, applications, etc.).
Why the Distinction Matters
Management and Troubleshooting: Knowing the difference helps ICT teams understand which group suits a particular use-case best and where to go to manage the group's membership.
- For a DDL, it's Exchange.
- For an Orchestrator-managed security group, it's the Orchestrator system (or whatever automation is in place) that dictates the membership, even if you see the result in Active Directory.
Purpose and Best Practices: Using the right type of group for the right purpose ensures cleaner AD and Exchange environments. While a mail-enabled security group can act as a distribution list, it's primarily designed for security.
Automation Flexibility: Orchestrator or similar systems offer much more complex logic for group membership than simple Exchange DDL queries. They can integrate with HR systems, project management tools, and other data sources to drive group memberships based on business rules that go beyond standard AD attributes.
The Takeaway
While both Dynamic Distribution Lists and Orchestrator-managed Mail-Enabled Security Groups can deliver emails to a defined set of people, their underlying design, management, and primary purpose differ significantly.
Understanding these distinctions allows for more precise communication with your ICT teams for solutions that meet your requirements.
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