Microsoft finally rolled its Vista operating system out the door Tuesday, billing it as its most secure operating system ever, but what are the security features that will really matter to enterprise users?To answer this question, IDG News Service asked Russ Humphries, a senior program manager with the Vista security team, to list the three Vista features that will have the biggest effect. Here’s his list:1) User Account ControlBefore Vista, Windows automatically gave users too much power over their systems, Microsoft has said. With User Account Control (UAC), Windows will require a few extra steps before the user can do things such as install new programs. The feature will make it much easier for corporate administrators to lock down desktops and prevent users, or malicious programs, from messing around with the system or installing unauthorized software. UAC has been one of Vista’s most controversial features, with early testers complaining that they were overwhelmed with pop-up messages warning them about every little change they made to the system. But these warnings will not slow down most enterprise users, because they won’t be installing device drivers or software, Humphries said. “Most corporate users are going to get a corporate image that will have all their applications already installed on the image,” he said. 2) Windows DefenderWith Vista, Microsoft has built a defense against pop-up ads and unwanted spyware right into the operating system. Although Defender has been criticized for not being as effective as commercial products, the fact that it will be so widely deployed is bound to improve things. “Adware is a huge annoyance, a security risk and a bit of a machine hog, ” Humphries said. “This has benefits for home users, small and medium-sized enterprises, and even large organizations.”3) BitLockerThere have been more than 100 million U.S. victims of data breaches over the past two years, according to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. BitLocker aims to prevent the next 100 million from getting hit quite so quickly, by giving corporate users a way to encrypt and password-protect their data. With BitLocker encrypting Vista’s data, a stolen PC doesn’t turn into a front-page data breach story, as was the case with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs last year.BitLocker can also ensure that the operating system hasn’t been tampered with at boot-up time, but customers seem to particularly appreciate the fact that it will help keep their companies out of the newspapers every time a laptop is lost. “I’ve had a lot of thank-yous from our customers,” Humphries said.-Robert McMillan, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau) Related Links: Microsoft Trumpets Vista Security at Launch Party Microsoft Windows Vista: The OS Has LandedCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Who’s paying your data integration tax? Reducing your data integration tax will get you one step closer to value—let’s start today. By Sandrine Ghosh Jun 05, 2023 4 mins Data Management feature 13 essential skills for accelerating digital transformation IT leaders too often find themselves behind on business-critical transformation efforts due to gaps in the technical, leadership, and business skills necessary to execute and drive change. By Stephanie Overby Jun 05, 2023 12 mins Digital Transformation IT Skills tip 3 things CIOs must do now to accurately hit net-zero targets More than a third of the world’s largest companies are making their net-zero targets public, yet nearly all will fail to hit them if they don’t double the pace of emissions reduction by 2030. This puts leading executives, CIOs in particul By Diana Bersohn and Mauricio Bermudez-Neubauer Jun 05, 2023 5 mins CIO Accenture Emerging Technology case study Merck Life Sciences banks on RPA to streamline regulatory compliance Automated bots assisted in compliance, thereby enabling the company to increase revenue and save precious human hours, freeing up staff for higher-level tasks. By Yashvendra Singh Jun 05, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation Robotic Process Automation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe