Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
Windows 7 Security Features for Small Businesses
Wednesday, August 04, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
We've noted that businesses are generally willing and excited about migrating to the
newest Microsoft OS, Windows 7. Both consumers and enterprise have
adopted the newest OS as a significant upgrade, whether on a user
interface or performance level. Whatever the case, small businesses
have quickly embraced the upgrade and have been quite pleased with
the transition.
One thing that Windows 7 addressed that haunted Windows Vista
and XP users was security and network vulnerability. Without
sacrificing ease of use, Windows has continued to improve with
features and enhancements for user control relating to business. In
an article from Computerworld.com, writer Logan
Kugler outlines five security features that "businesses need to
know about." Here they are with some details and
recommendations:
Multiple Active Firewall Profiles. Even the
small changes can make a significant difference for businesses.
Windows 7 offers separated firewall protocols for public, private
and domain connections. For example, your home network (Wi-Fi) may
be considered a private network and therefore trusted more than a
public network. No log in identification is needed in this case,
and you can adjust what each network (private or public) can access
in regards to file and printer sharing. While your private network
is trusted, a domain network would require some type of
authentication.
Windows Biometric Framework. Decades ago, this
technology was found only in science fiction texts. Today, as
fingerprints readers become more popular, biometric data and
feedback has become an important and useful security tool. The
article points out that Windows Biometric Framework may draw more
interest from developers, businesses can use the fingerprint
security to allow computer and domain log-in, storing up to 10
unique fingerprints (in case one or more fingers are altered from
injuries).
BitLocker To Go. BitLocker on Vista allowed
businesses to encrypt hard drives in the event that any individual
may try to gain access to valuable information from a stolen or
lost piece of technology. Now, BitLocker To Go protects external
drives which include "pocket-size hard drives and tiny flash
drives." The decryption process requires a user-selected password
or, if businesses opt, a smart card with the ability for
multifactor authentication. This software exists solely on
Enterprise or Ultimate editions of Windows 7 but once an encrypted
drive is created it will be readable and writable via any Windows 7
computer.
AppLocker. The talk of the (mobile) town has
always been the use of effective enterprise apps. IT managers,
however, struggle with "maintaining a stable user system (while)
preventing malware and protecting the integrity of the network".
The feature known as Software Restriction Policies handled these
duties in previous versions but caused more time-consuming work for
IT workers. The addition of Publisher Rules in AppLocker relies on
"info in a program's signature certificate, which more and more
applications have today." These rules can define more detailed
operations and still apply to specific users or user groups.
DirectAccess. Dubbed a "next-generation"
replacement for VPNs, according to the article, DirectAcess permits
users to connect directly with future servers. For end users, this
is smooth sailing - the device automatically creates a secure
connection to the network when attempting to connect to the
Internet. From an IT standpoint, this facilitates better management
and updates since the user does not have to be directly using
corporate resources for a connection to be established (some mobile
workers may not access a VPN for a period of time).
While these are only five new features supporting the efforts of
Windows 7 migration, there will be more to come as Microsoft
receives feedback from its growing user base. Got any useful
security features or account control features that you use for
Windows 7?
Until next time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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