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Will a Microsoft Windows 7 upgrade really improve your security?

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So you've heard some vague notions about "improved security" in Microsoft Windows 7.  As a leading Boston IT support company we get asked this question all the time.  The short answer is YES! But let me give you a few more details so you can understand exactly what Microsoft Windows 7 brings to the table at least from the perspective of a Boston are IT Support company who is responsible for the security of our customers' networks.

As always if you have any questions please feel free to email me at drinaldi at gizmofish.com or call me at 866-MY-GIZMO (866-694-4966) ext. 4.

PS. Don't forget about our Free Windows 7 Seminar on April 22^nd at the Microsoft offices in Waltham.  Click here to register.

More secure, more easily - Microsoft Windows 7 has many security enhancements that not only improve security but also make enhanced security easier to manage (and easier to live with!)

1. Internet Explorer 8 in Microsoft Windows 7 has several new features to make web browsing safer.  Here are a few:
1. InPrivate Browsing lets you surf the web without leaving a trail in Internet Explorer so other can see where you have been surfing.
2. SmartScreen filter protects users against evolving web and social engineering threats by automatically blocking access to malicious websites.
3. XSS filter - The IE8 Cross Site Scripting Filter protects you against a certain type of malicious website content that has become one of the leading online threats.
4. Domain highlighting highlights the root domain of any website your are visiting so you can easily see if the site is a phony phishing site setup to look like a legitimate site such as PayPal, or eBay, or Bank of America
2. Windows Vista introduced BitLocker Drive Encryption.  Some versions of Microsoft Windows 7 have an enhanced version of BitLocker that enables you to easily encrypt portable storage devices like USB flash drives and external hard drives.
3. Windows Defender which protects against Spyware is now built-in to Microsoft Windows 7.  Plus Microsoft Security Essentials, which is a full-featured anti-malware program that protects against viruses, spyware, worms, Trojan horses, and other malware, is available as a free download.
4. Microsoft Windows 7 offers better control over security.  You can adjust how often the computer interrupts you to warn of changes to your computer.  And Windows 7 makes it easier for users to run as non-administrators without hindering their ability to accomplish tasks on the PC.
5. Microsoft Windows 7 has improved backup and restore capabilities.  In addition to a user-friendly user interface, the Microsoft Windows 7 Backup and Restore tool allows you to create complete system image backups so you can restore your entire PC in the event of a catastrophic system crash.

There are other security enhangements Microsoft Windows 7 that help justify an upgrade but for now I'll leave you with these.  Come to our Microsoft Windows 7 seminar on April 22 in Waltham and take a look.  I think you'll agree that Microsoft Windows 7 really does provide better security, while being less intrusive about it that previous versions of Windows.