Administration
Domain 7 tests administration of the Proofpoint platform: roles, org hierarchy, settings inheritance, connectors, directory sync, audit, and licensing. Expect questions on least privilege, delegated administration, and change control.
Core rules
- Use role-based access; super admin is not the default for daily work.
- Organizational units inherit settings; a child override can diverge from the parent.
- Directory sync or LDAP supplies users and groups; stale groups cause policy gaps.
- Connectors and smart hosts need correct TLS and authentication; test with a smoke message.
- Audit logs record admin changes; review them after incidents and around upgrades.
Worked example
A subsidiary needs its own quarantine mailbox. Create an org unit, assign a delegated admin scoped to that unit, and let it inherit global detection policy but override the quarantine address. Do not give the subsidiary super admin; that would expose other tenants and violate least privilege.
Traps that cost marks
Granting global admin for a local task; assuming inherited settings update instantly; editing the parent when a child exception is needed; ignoring license counts for TAP or TRAP; and changing connectors without a test message.