Microsoft Windows Vista challenges, pitfalls

Senior News Writer Bill Brenner examines the challenges of deploying Microsoft Windows Vista and the considerations that go into the decision to roll out the new Windows Vista OS. The series highlights the setbacks and successes of those who are at various stages of deployment.

Microsoft's completion of Vista SP1 fails to excite users
Microsoft celebrated the release to manufacturing of Windows Vista SP1, but IT administrators say the service pack doesn't make them want to deploy the OS.
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• Hospital: Vista just what the doctor ordered: Despite UAC headaches and certain compatibility issues, the Gwinnett Medical Center IT department in Lawrenceville, Ga., has embraced Vista's security enhancements.

• Windows Vista UAC an oil slick for energy firm: Microsoft touts Windows Vista UAC as a needed layer of security. But Omar Ghneim, network administrator for EXCO Resources, says it's more disruptive than helpful.

• College campuses prepare for Microsoft Windows Vista challenges: With new Vista machines coming to campus, the IT shops of academia have no choice but to embrace the latest Windows OS and its security implications.

• Big Microsoft Windows Vista concerns for Big Pharma: A big selling point for Windows Vista is its security features. But for one pharmaceutical company, those features actually increase concern over leaked intellectual property.

• When Microsoft Windows Vista and VPNs don't mix: Papa Gino's is ahead of many companies in deploying Windows Vista, thanks to its involvement in the Microsoft TAP program. But VPN compatibility has been a sticking point.

• Vendor IT shops also feel Windows Vista pain: Vendors don't like to hear it when their customers complain they were too slow in preparing their products for Vista compatibility.

• Is Windows Vista SP1 necessary before making the upgrade? Microsoft informed its corporate customers that it plans to release Windows Vista SP1 in the second half of 2007, but should you wait for it? In this SearchSecurity.com Q&A, platform security expert Michael Cobb gives the answer.

• Windows Vista: Security issues to consider: Windows Vista is now in the wild. With its myriad new security features, are enterprises foolish not to adopt right away? In this tip, contributor Michael Cobb examines the security-related pros and cons of Microsoft's latest operating system.

• Black Hat 2007: Vista users urged to beware of IPv6: A researcher warns that attackers could make trouble for Vista users by exploiting Teredo, an IPv6 tunneling tool enabled by default in the latest Windows OS.

• The keys to locking down Windows Vista User Account Control: Windows Vista's User Account Control feature can effectively lock down users' desktops and prevent malicious processes and applications from executing.

• Security Wire Weekly Special Edition: Vista a year later: Security analyst Rich Mogull and Microsoft's Shanen Boettcher discuss the ongoing compatibility challenges of Windows Vista and what's next.

  
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• Security Wire Weekly Special Edition: Vista UAC headaches: Omar Ghneim, network administrator for energy firm EXCO Resources, explains his efforts to make sense of Vista's user account controls and keep critical business applications running without the barrage of pop-ups that has earned Microsoft scorn.

  
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• Security Wire Weekly: Papa Ginos Vista deployment: In this Security Wire Weekly podcast, Papa Gino's IT manager Chris Cahalin describes how security concerns drove him to speed up his Vista deployments despite VPN compatibility problems.

  
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• Windows Vista security flaws show progress, not perfection: Microsoft has touted Windows Vista as its most secure operating system ever. But if that's the case, why has it already been the subject of several high-profile security problems? As Ed Skoudis explains, despite its improvements, Vista's security posture is far from perfect.

  
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• Security Wire Weekly -- Cracks in Windows Vista: In this special edition of Security Wire Weekly from RSA Conference 2007, eEye CTO Marc Maiffret talks about how he's already discovered cracks in Windows Vista.

  
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