NTFS Analysis

Introduction

In modern IT environments, protecting sensitive data is a central challenge. File systems in Windows networks form the backbone of many business processes — yet it is often not immediately clear who is allowed to access which directories. Misconfigured permissions, overly privileged accounts, or orphaned users can quickly lead to security vulnerabilities and pose risks to data protection and compliance.

Docusnap365 offers a comprehensive solution with the NTFS Analysis module to systematically identify these risks, visualize access rights transparently, and enable audit-proof documentation of permission structures. The goal is to help organizations implement the principle of least privilege, comply with security policies, and always be able to answer the question: who has access to which data — and why.

However, analyzing NTFS permissions is no trivial task. Due to inherited permissions, nested group structures, external accounts (Foreign Security Principals), and historically grown permission concepts, a complex web of access possibilities arises. Traditional methods of analysis — such as manual evaluation or local tools — quickly reach their limits here.

Docusnap365 elegantly overcomes these challenges through the combination of automated inventory, intelligent permission resolution, and interactive visualization, providing a comprehensive view of the actual permission situation in the file system. It captures not only which permissions exist, but also which ones are actually effective — i.e., those that are actively applied.

Therefore, NTFS analysis is not just a technical tool — it is a strategic component of modern IT governance. It delivers reliable data for security decisions, supports audits, and helps establish a sustainable, understandable, and transparent permission structure.

In the following chapters, we will show how you can use Docusnap365 to:

• efficiently capture the permission landscape,
• uncover risks,
• analyze and document permissions,
• and elevate your organization to a new level of access security.