Windows 7: tools for IT departments

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Windows 7 boasts several new features that could make PCs easier to manage and secure for IT departments. They include:

BitLocker To Go

Government departments pay attention: Microsoft is expanding the BitLocker drive encryption found in business and Ultimate versions of Vista to include USB flash drives. “The problem with these little buggers is people lose them,” said the unusually frank Boettcher.

IT departments can set a group policy that forces USB drives to be encrypted before the employee’s allowed to copy files off the corporate network on to the stick, saving IT departments from employing more drastic measures, such as disabling USB ports.

Alternatively, employees can easily encrypt their own drives with the Bitlocker Drive Encryption option in Windows 7’s System and Security settings. Remembering the password might be a stiffer challenge, however.

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