Strategy: Windows 7 Security
Windows 7 Security: Is It All It's Cracked Up to Be?
With security an increasingly critical factor in every enterprise decision, it’s no surprise that Microsoft made some significant additions and upgrades when it came to Windows 7 integrated security controls. BitLocker for drive encryption, AppLocker for application and script control, customizable firewalls, better Group Policy Automation, auditing and access monitoring all add to the operating system's defense lineup. These and other enhancements also help limit the number of third-party products organizations require to ensure that they are protected against data loss, malware and other security threats.
In this report, we evaluate the security Microsoft has built into Windows 7 and provide information about third-party security software. Use it as a guide to determine whether the new Windows security features will serve your company’s defense purposes and what additional tools you’ll need to achieve comprehensive protection.
Table of Contents
3 Author’s Bio
4 Author’s Bio
5 Executive Summary
6 Security Improvements Add to Win 7 Temptation
6 Figure 1: Windows 7: Key Enterprise Security Features
7 BitLocker Brings Better Encryption
8 Figure 2: Windows 7 Migration Barriers
9 Figure 3: Windows 7 Migration Drivers
10 Windows Firewall Adds Customization Features
11 Centralized Management: AppLocker and Other Group Policy Goodies
12 Figure 4: 5 Critical Steps to Successful AppLocker Deployment
13 Auditing and Access Monitoring
About the Author
Richard Dreger is president of WaveGard, a vendor-neutral security consulting firm. Rick has significant, broad-based technology experience with extensive skills in the information assurance, security and wireless networking fields. He has consulted for a wide breadth of clients in both the public and private sectors, and his professional background includes more than 15 years of experience in Fortune 100 companies as well as smaller technology consulting firms.
Rick has complemented his hands-on consulting experience by leading courses such as the CWNP wireless curriculum and the (ISC)2 CISSP review. In addition to being one of the 11 founding members of the Certified Wireless Network Experts (CWNE) roundtable, he is also coauthor of the Certified Wireless Security Professional (CWSP) v2 study guide and numerous InformationWeek articles. Rick obtained his BSE from Duke University and his Master’s from Villanova University.
Stephen McMurray enjoys providing security-oriented analysis of leading technologies, most recently focusing on virtualization, Active Directory and compliance topics for InformationWeek. Over the past 15 years, his passion for technology has led to a variety of opportunities, including involvement in startups and consulting as well as several positions in Fortune 100 technology companies. He has been an active player in large-scale implementations of virtualization, Active Directory (along with other Microsoft technologies) and endpoint security.
Steve currently specializes in security and design of Active Directory, Group Policy and other Microsoft technologies, as well as virtualization and storage architecture. He holds a BA in technical communications in addition to a variety of technical and management certifications. Write to him at smcmurray@nwc.com.
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