VISTA guides

Windows Vista Step-by-Step Guides for IT Professionals v2.4

These step-by-step guides will assist IT Professionals in deploying or migrating to Windows Vista. These guides will also provide step-by-step information on how to monitor performance, manage printing, control how CPU and memory resources are allocated using Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM), control device installation using Device Management and Installation (DMI), and manage ADMX files.

There are also step-by-step guides to help you protect data using BitLocker Drive Encryption, to administer the TPM Security Hardware in a computer using Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Services, and to help deploy better-managed desktops and mitigate the impact of malware using User Account Control (UAC).

Download: Windows Vista Step-by-Step Guides for IT Professionals v2.4

Getting Started with User Account Control on Windows Vista Beta 2

This Getting Started guide is intended for Microsoft Windows VistaTM Beta 2 and UAC deployments in lab environments. This guide provides user experience and configuration data for both managed and unmanaged environments as well as information about UAC updates included in Windows Vista Beta 2.

User Account Control (UAC) is a new security component of the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. UAC enables users to perform common tasks as non-administrators, called standard users in Windows Vista, and as administrators without having to switch users, log off, or use Run As. A standard user account is synonymous with a user account in Windows XP. User accounts that are members of the local Administrators group will run most applications as a standard user. By separating user and administrator functions while enabling productivity, UAC is an important enhancement for Windows Vista.

LINK: Getting Started with User Account Control on Windows Vista Beta 2

Understanding and Configuring User Account Control in Windows Vista Beta 2

Enterprises today face a daunting task of enforcing desktop standardization. This challenge is intensified since the majority of users run as local administrators on their computers. As a local administrator, a user can install and uninstall applications and adjust system and security settings at will. As a result, IT departments often cannot gauge the holistic health and security of their environments. In addition, every application that these users launch can potentially use their accounts’ administrative-level access to write to system files and the registry and to modify system-wide data. Common tasks like browsing the Web and checking e-mail can become unsafe in this scenario. In addition, all of these elements increase an organization’s total cost of ownership (TCO).

It is imperative that IT departments are given a solution that is both resilient to attack and protective of data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. For this reason, the Microsoft Windows VistaTM development team chose to redesign the way that the Windows core security infrastructure and applications interact. User Account Control (UAC) was the outcome of this redesign process.

LINK: Understanding and Configuring User Account Control in Windows Vista Beta 2