June 2008
Security:The Great Debate: Security by Obscurity
Security by obscurity involves taking measures that don't remove an attack vector but instead conceal it. Some argue that this is a bad practice while others claim that as part of a larger strategy, every bit counts. The debate is quite heated, and some of our finest security experts face off, explaining security by obscurity and presenting both sides of the debate. Jesper M. Johansson and Roger Grimes
Security:New Elevation PowerToys for Windows Vista
Michael Murgolo is back with an update to his Elevation PowerToys. You'll find enhanced Run as Administrator functionality that works with third-party scripting tools, a way to replace a handy Windows XP feature removed from Windows Vista, and many more useful tools. Michael Murgolo
Security:Advances in BitLocker Drive Encryption
Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 introduce important changes to BitLocker, including support for data volumes and improved protection against cryptographic attacks. Byron Hynes explores the new features, demonstrates how to use BitLocker on a server, and discusses some of the recent media coverage affecting BitLocker. Byron Hynes
Security:Application Lockdown with Software Restriction Policies
When you want to reduce the total cost of ownership of the desktop machines in your organization, application lockdown can be a great help, letting you limit IT issues related to unsupported applications. See how you can use software restriction policies and Group Policy to control the applications being run throughout your IT infrastructure. Chris Corio and Durga Prasad Sayana
Security:Managing the Windows Vista Firewall
The recent update to the Windows Vista Firewall offers some impressive new features that make it a compelling choice for the corporate environment. Jesper M. Johansson gives a brief overview of the evolution of the Windows Firewall and delves into enhancements—such as new rules and profiles, domain isolation, and encryption—that will have administrators taking a closer look. Jesper M. Johansson
Security:Secure E-Mail Using Digital Certificates
Secure Multi-Purpose Internet Mail Extensions let you hide information in transit, validate senders, and authenticate messages. Learn how to secure e-mail using digital certificates and how to troubleshoot problems you may encounter on your S/MIME system. Matt Clapham and Blake Hutchinson
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb978519(v=msdn.10)
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc135917(v=msdn.10)
Columns
| From the Editor:The Great Debate
Joshua Hoffman
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Letters:Readers Speak Out
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Toolbox:New Products for IT Pros
Greg Steen
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| Windows Vista:Top Security Features in Windows Vista
Why should you upgrade to Windows Vista? Among many reasons, the new security features make it a must-have. This article explores some of the major security features introduced in Windows Vista.Anthony (A.J.) Smith and Ned Gnichtel
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Sustainable Computing:Learning from the Quincy Datacenter
The Microsoft datacenter located in Quincy, WA is powered entirely by hydroelectricity. Dave Ohara takes you on a tour of this facility and shares some best practices from the Microsoft datacenter team for building and operating a sustainable datacenter.Dave Ohara
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SQL Q&A:I/O Errors, Database Mirroring, and More
Paul Randal answers your SQL Server questions, showing you how to create corruption in a test database, helping you avoid a shrink-grow-shrink-grow cycle, and explaining how you can determine how many databases you can mirror before performance starts to degrade.Paul S. Randal
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| Utility Spotlight:Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor
Ready to upgrade the systems in your organization to Windows Vista? Find out how the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can help you determine whether your systems are ready for Windows Vista and which versions they can support.Lance Whitney
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Inside Sharepoint:Decentralizing Site Administration
Explore the advantages and implications of delegating administrative control over SharePoint sites to individual departments while maintaining centralized administrative control over the SharePoint infrastructure.Pav Cherny
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Windows PowerShell:Looking Good
Discover how the object-oriented nature of Windows PowerShell allows you to apply formatting to its output.Don Jones
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| Hey, Scripting Guy!:Not-So-Hard Work Has Its Rewards, Too
The Scripting Guys ponder hard work, true happiness, and outputting data to the command window in a readable tabular format.The Microsoft Scripting Guys
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The Desktop Files:Security vs. Compliance
IT professionals often find themselves with objectives that contradict one another. Take a look at how being compliant often comes at the expense of being less secure.Wes Miller
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The Business of IT:10 Keys to Becoming an Environmental Leader
As IT departments play an increasingly important role in corporate environmental efforts, IT professionals are finding an opportunity to drive change and become thought leaders in their companies and industries. Here's an overview to becoming an effective thought leader for environmental and sustainability initiatives in your organization.Michael Walsh and Eliza Walsh
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| Field Notes:Sharing a Split Screen
Developed by Microsoft Research India, Split Screen allows two users to share a monitor while running separate instances of the OS on each side.Kentaro Toyama
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Windows Confidential:The Two Worst PCs Ever
Raymond Chen fondly reminisces about working with the two worst computers ever made.Raymond Chen
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