Group Policy Object

This is pretty straightforward. The overlying technology we are talking about here is called Group Policy, and an individual instance of a Group Policy is known as a Group Policy Object, commonly referred to as a GPO. A GPO is a single package that contains one or many policy settings and applies to a domain computer, a domain user, or sometimes many computers and users all at the same time.

GPOs are stored inside Active Directory and are replicated among your domain controller servers. Every time a domain user logs into a domain-joined computer that is connected to your network, the computer reaches out to Active Directory and asks, "Hey, got any GPO settings for me?" Then a whole slew of activity commences as a domain controller hands over all of the GPO settings that it contains, which apply to the computer and/or user logging in. This is a key piece of information. GPOs are scoped upon creation, giving you the power to define to whom each policy...