What IT Pros Should Look for in Windows Vista
Deployment and Management
Windows Vista includes new and updated features that make it easier for you to manage client computers in your organization:
- Modular architecture and a new file-based imaging format (WIM) allow a single language-independent and hardware-independent image to be created and deployed across the infrastructure. In addition, non-destructive imaging now allows a PC to migrate to Windows Vista while preserving files and settings.
- Expanded Group Policy settings make almost every aspect of Windows Vista centrally configurable, providing an appropriate level of lockdown and fewer opportunities for disruption.
- Expanded reporting and event logging allows you to view computer system health and status to prevent or diagnose problems.
- The improved Task Scheduler automates routine administrative and system tasks, and responds to events on client computers by triggering responsive actions when specified events occur.
Windows Vista is designed to correct common problems and errors without IT intervention—saving time and effort while keeping end users up and running:
- Automatically detects and resolves many known problems—requiring little or no effort on the part of your end users, either repairing the problem or providing a series of steps for the user to follow.
- The Windows Network Diagnostics tool identifies the top potential issues preventing network connectivity, and automatically takes appropriate steps toward correcting them.
- Built-in diagnostic scenarios record events in the event log, providing a record of automatically repaired issues and provides detailed information on problems that can't be resolved automatically.
Security
Layered defenses employ a strategy of prevention, isolation, and recovery against malicious software threats and intrusions:
- User Access Control gives administrators the option of restricting permissions while still enabling most applications to run—reducing the 'attack surface' on individual PCs by avoiding administrator credentials for most users.
- BitLocker Drive Encryption protects information on laptops and hard drives to prevent security breaches.
- The improved firewall offers a new Advanced Security interface for configuring client PC and Internet protocol security (IPsec) settings, with full Group Policy support for configuration and rules. In concert with Windows Service Hardening, the new architecture provides defense-in-depth and restricts abnormal activity.
View all of our Vista offerings>>
Source: microsoft.com