What are Group Policy Objects<\/a> (GPOs)? In short, GPOs are predefined commands, scripts, and task execution templates that control Windows\u00ae<\/sup> systems and their policies. They come standard with the Microsoft\u00ae<\/sup> Active Directory\u00ae<\/sup><\/a> (AD) platform, which has helped IT administrators manage Windows users and systems for years. Recently, however, the challenge has become figuring out how to provide similar functionality for Mac\u00ae<\/sup><\/a> and Linux\u00ae<\/sup><\/a> too, as well as how to execute GPOs or GPO-like functions from the cloud where directory services are starting to shift. Fortunately, a new solution called JumpCloud\u00ae<\/sup> Directory-as-a-Service\u00ae<\/sup><\/a> has emerged that offers cross-platform GPO-like capabilities<\/a> from the cloud. First, though, let\u2019s take a closer look at traditional GPOs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n