Windows Vista SP1 ramps up client PC security

By Khoo Boo Leong | Nov 30, 2008

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From data security to loss prevention to recovery, Windows Vista SP1 is packed with features that assure not only large enterprises but also SMBs that their corporate data can be safely and securely shared between client PCs.

"Vista is our fastest selling OS; we have close to 160 million copies of Vista sold in the market right now," said Richard Francis, general manager of Microsoft's Windows Client Group for the Asia Pacific. "Compared to Linux and Apple, it's still the most secure operating system out there and it's even 60% less likely to be infected with malware than XP SP2 which was considered a robust OS."

Significant risk factors that Windows Vista is addressing include mobile PCs outselling desktop PCs and the increased capacities of removable storage.

"SMBs are concerned about security not only in terms of external parties tapping into their computers but also their internal staff stealing customer data or the company's confidential information via USB removable storage," said Francis.

To prevent either from happening, the BitLocker technology in Windows Vista is used to encrypt data on a PC. BitLocker employs both drive encryption and integrity checking of early boot components. While the former prevents unauthorized users from breaking Windows file and system protection, the latter ensures that data encryption is performed only if the encrypted drive is located in the original computer.

"Even if you can retrieve the data by hacking the password protection, you can't view the data unless you have the encryption key," said Francis. "With SP1, you can encrypt the entire Windows volume or partitions within the hard drive. In the future, we will introduce BitLocker to protect the USB or any external hard drive."

"This is crucial because usually, an employee may report the loss of a laptop but they may not necessarily report the loss of a USB thumb drive," Francis explained. Indeed, employees are increasingly bringing work home and they may use one or more thumb drives, each with up to 16GB of capacity, to store confidential information copied from the office.

The current version of Vista offers a Group Policy for Removable Storage feature that allows IT administrators to control data transfers to and from removable storage on a per-user basis.

Another factor that calls for secure IT infrastructure is good corporate governance. Francis cited how the UK Building Society was fined $1.9 million last year after an employee lost a single laptop which contained customers' information. "In the US alone, 750,000 laptops were either stolen or lost. When you lose a laptop, you may lose confidential corporate and customer information and that becomes a compliance issue."

But data loss prevention is a challenge not only for laptops but also for any IT platform. Borneo Motors, an automotive dealer in Singapore, is relying on Windows Vista"s features to prevent data loss and secure its IT environment.

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