Feature Articles

Windows Vista - How Secure is the New OS?

By Daniel Lim - 11 Jan 2007

Closing Thoughts

losing Thoughts

Windows Vista has been much delayed, with Microsoft choosing to jettison quite a number of significant features (initially slated for Longhorn) in order to keep the delay respectable. Fortunately, its much touted security features seem to have been mostly intact. Compared to Windows XP, it has a more comprehensive security model, which should significantly cut down the number of security threats. While Windows Vista didn't come with a default anti-virus application, one can choose to use any Vista-compatible anti-virus application in the market including most supported third-party firewall and anti-spyware applications. Microsoft was probably wary of monopolistic accusations from third party vendors like Symantec and others when it made that choice.

With its revamped security model, Windows Vista should do a better job of protecting the operating system from ignorant users. We recommend that you give the beta or the RTM version a spin first and perhaps hopefully make the switch when the full retail version is made available in February 2007. Once you make the move, you will realize that there are other benefits that Windows Vista has over Windows XP such as the new Sync center and a host of other new applications like Windows Photo Gallery, Windows DVD maker and the Snipping tool among others in the Vista operating system. Do keep an eye on our articles here at www.hardwarezone.com as we'll be looking at other aspects of Windows Vista in the near future. Meanwhile for those intrigued by Vista and its offerings, start saving up so that when it arrives, you can splurge on it and quickly transition to the new OS with a lot less to worry about as far as security is concerned.

"With Vista, we have raised the bar on computing security like never before, to make users aware of the vulnerabilities in their computers and the right tools to address these. - Ben Naden, Windows Client Group Manager

Of course with Windows Vista still being a Windows OS, there will always be a group of skeptics, but so far from our hands-on, Vista definitely seems safer, easier to configure and more capable than its predecessors ever were in the realm of security. Soon to be available in retail, hopefully Vista can prove its worth and shed off the negative perception of the Windows legacy. As Vista matures in the coming months, real hands-on feedback from the industry and community should trickle down. That along with our own assessment of Vista in real-world use, we should be able to better determine if all the security measures of the new OS can stand up against the wild Internet and stay true to Microsoft's claims. The jury isn't out yet on Vista's defense mechanisms in the end-user environment, but one thing for certain is that it holds a lot of promise at the moment.

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