Complete Windows Server 2012 Practice Test 2025

The correct answer is the Group Policy Management Console. This tool is specifically designed for managing Group Policy Objects (GPOs) within an Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) environment. When you deploy a security template, you typically create a GPO that applies the settings defined in that template to the desired organizational units (OUs) or the entire domain.

The Group Policy Management Console allows administrators to create, edit, and link GPOs to OUs or the domain itself, ensuring consistent application of security settings across all computers within that scope. By leveraging GPOs, organizations can enforce security standards, configure user and computer settings, and manage applications from a central location.

Other tools mentioned do not have the same level of functionality for deploying security settings across an AD DS domain. For example, the Group Policy Object Editor provides a method to edit GPOs but lacks the broader management capabilities found in the Group Policy Management Console. Local Security Policy, on the other hand, is limited to configuring security settings on a single machine, while Active Directory Users and Computers focuses on managing AD objects like users and computers rather than policy deployment. Hence, the Group Policy Management Console is essential for deploying security templates consistently across multiple systems in an AD environment.