I came across some excellent security initiatives that are being taken by Microsoft. One of this is having a secure and stable OS. You will notice that Windows Server 2003 is much more stable and secured then its predecessor operating systems. The next step towards having even more stable and secure environment is Vista. Vista is a new OS developed by Microsoft. It is currently in Beta 2.
After Wndows 2003; Vista is going to be our next OS. Other than UI, Microsoft has heavily invested in Security area. You will now have as high as 500 new group policies which can be managed centrally. By the time Vista is released we will also have the release version Internet Explorer 7 and 2007 Office System (http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/default.mspx). Such softwares will add towards having a secured Microsoft environment.
Below are some of the cool things I found about Vista (Beta 2) are :
- It offers a distinct look and you would love the new UI. Entire windows look and feel has changed for good.
o Transparent glass effect makes it is easier to manage other open windows with less distraction.
o Press Windows+Tab to experience the dynamic “Flip 3D” windows management feature.
- For changing any settings in the control panel you now need to provide credentials – This will be helpful in stopping spyware softwares.
- Watching television on Vista is also going to be a better experience. Microsoft has tried to make this software as close as a real TV.
o It saves the state of last viewed channel.
o If you have ever watched television on a PC you would know the pain.
§ Current TV softwares are slow and flickers at start up.
§ Its tough to mange the channels.
§ Gets Huge file size if you want to save some program. Can even be 1 GB file for a 10 min video.
o Media Center is a good investment in this area.
- The coolest feature I noticed is the instant enhancement you can do in terms of increasing memory. Follow the below steps to do that:
o Insert a ReadyBoost-capable storage device with at least 512 MB– for example USB 2.0 memory drive
o When prompted – click “Speed up my system” to use that amount of memory as additional RAM.
One of the demerits with Vista is having higher system requirement then its competitor. But I don’t think this is going be a big issue in today’s scenario.
Minimum System requirement of Vista:
Processor -----------– 800 Mhz 32-bit
System Memory ---–- 512 MB
HDD ---------------- 20 GB
HDD Free space ---– 15 GB
You can get more details from the below links:
Windows Vista Security and Data Protection Improvements
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/evaluate/feat/secfeat.mspx#E6B
Top 10 things to try with Windows Vista
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/evaluate/tenthings.mspx