If you've ever worked in a small business, you've no doubt come to realize that a good operations manager can make all the difference in the world. The operations manager can be counted on to know at all times what is happening within the business, where important files are located, who to contact for various
business services, and who can take care of a particular task or
problem. Although perhaps not completely versed in all the technical details of the business, this person is usually very resourceful, and it's usually well understood that he or she is the one to talk to when you really need results.

From a software point of view, this is exactly what the Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) does. This technology is the key to creating better enterprise networks. It's a simple protocol that acts as a storehouse of information for applications, but is also important enough to become a central part of modern operating system services. It binds together system information, distributed across multiple computers, with system services and client applications that make it simpler to access user preferences, application configuration data, and security configuration data, and to locate services on the network.

This article will give you an up-close look at how LDAP works
and advise you on how to design the information hierarchy
and deployment of your LDAP services. If you're unfamiliar
with LDAP, you may want to peruse the Resources section at the end of this article.