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Security Guidance

Here you’ll find prescriptive guides created by the Microsoft Solutions for Security and Compliance team for IT professionals, as well as security guidance organized by topic, product, and technology.

Microsoft Solutions for Security and Compliance Guides

The following prescriptive security guides are created by the Microsoft Solutions for Security and Compliance (MSSC) team. Please send us your feedback about the MSSC guides as well as suggestions for future topics.

Identity and Access Management

•	Microsoft Identity and Access Management Series

Client Security

•	Applying the Principle of Least Privilege to User Accounts on Windows XP

•	Windows XP Security Guide

Server Security

•	The Services and Service Accounts Security Planning Guide

•	Microsoft Solution for Securing Windows 2000 Server

•	Windows Server 2003 Security Guide

•	Threats and Countermeasures Guide

•	The Antivirus Defense-in-Depth Guide

•	The Administrator Accounts Security Planning Guide

Network Security

•	Securing Wireless LANs with Certificate Services

•	Securing Wireless LANs with PEAP and Passwords

•	The Secure Access Using Smart Cards Planning Guide

•	The Security Monitoring and Attack Detection Planning Guide

•	Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 Threat Mitigation Guide

•	Server and Domain Isolation Using IPsec and Group Policy Guide

Security Management

•	Regulatory Compliance Planning Guide

•	MOF Service Management Functions: Security Management

•	Security Risk Management Guide

Security Guidance by Topic

Find security articles indexed by topic.

•	Architecture and Design Find design guidelines for more secure applications, as well as guidance on authentication and authorization, threat modeling, and more.

•	Assessment Read about resources that can help you assess the security of your systems, such as the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA).

•	Auditing and Monitoring Learn how auditing and monitoring your systems can help you thwart attacks before they happen, or, if an attack does occur, contain damage and recover quickly.

•	Compliance and Policies Learn more about methodologies that can help you identify, analyze, and prioritize potential security and compliance issues.

•	Cryptography, Certificates, and Secure Communications Learn more about technologies, such as IPSec policy structure and encryption libraries, that can help improve security when information is exchanged across the Internet, extranets, intranets, and applications.

•	Desktop Security Find information on how to better protect your company's desktops against external and internal threats.

•	Developing Secure Applications Get detailed information and guidance on the various strategies you can use to enhance the security of your applications.

•	Disaster Recovery Find general and product-specific information on how to prepare for network outages and disasters, and how to respond quickly to minimize disruption or damage.

•	Identity and Access Management Learn how an effective identity and access management strategy not only strengthens security, but can also help your company achieve greater productivity, drive down costs, and improve business integration while simplifying and streamlining the user experience.

•	Network Security Find resources on a broad spectrum of network security guidance, from designing a perimeter firewall to increasing the security of a wireless network.

•	Patch Management Get tools to help you manage updates and simplify the task of keeping systems current, and find guidance that will help you assess your environment and implement an effective software update management strategy.

•	Server Security Find information and resources that can help you increase the security of your server systems.

•	Threats and Countermeasures Learn about security threats that can menace your company's networks and systems, settings you can configure to help mitigate specific risks, and impacts and functionality trade-offs you should consider.

Security Guidance for Products

Browse by product or technology for guidance to help you protect your platforms, networks, desktops, and data.

Browse by Product

•	Exchange Server

•	Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA)

•

Office

•	SQL Server

•	Systems Management Server (SMS)

•	Windows NT

•	Windows 98

•	Windows 2000

•	Windows Server 2003

•	Windows XP

Browse by Technology

•	Active Directory

•

ASP.NET

•	Internet Authentication Service (IAS)

•	Internet Information Services (IIS)

•	NET Framework

•	Software Update Services (SUS)

•	Web Services

Security Columns

These monthly columns, written by technology experts, offer solutions to tough IT problems.

•	Security Tip of the Month Security tips on products, technologies, and security terminology.

•	Security MVP Article of the Month Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) offer their personal experience and opinions on security-related topics for IT professionals.

•	Security Management Find out how to help improve the security of your network and learn about the kinds of security problems that are commonly encountered.

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