Windows 7 - offers improved security for corporate users

Like Vista, Windows 7 continues to improve on security controls.  In a corporate setting, Windows 7 offers much improved security over Windows XP especially for mobile users with laptops (who may be outside the umbrella of corporate protective controls as they travel). 

Windows 7 - offers improved security for corporate users
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Windows-7-Security-Story-May-Appeal-to-Enterprises-549002/

QUOTE: Microsoft Windows 7 has a number of new security features designed to appeal to enterprises. But will they do the trick?  The Windows 7 security story has three main chapters that have received a fair amount of attention: DirectAccess, BitLocker To Go and AppLocker. With these, as well as features such as BranchCache and enhancements to UAC (user account control), officials at Microsoft have said they feel they are pushing out their most secure operating system yet.

Windows 7 is built upon the security foundations in Windows Vista and retains all of the core technologies, such as Firewall, Windows Defender and User Account Control," Paul Cooke, director of Windows Client Enterprise Security, told eWEEK. "In addition to enhancing those security features, we listened to customer feedback and [wove] it closely into the development process of Windows 7 to deliver innovative new security features.

Enterprises looking to upgrade or switch to Windows 7 can also count AppLocker as a key security feature. AppLocker allows administrators to use Group Policy to specify what applications, installation programs and scripts users can execute. With the Audit Only Enforcement Mode setting, administrators can determine what applications are used in an organization and test rules before deploying them, Cooke said.

Rounding all this out is BitLocker To Go, which encrypts removable storage devices such as USB drives. With BitLocker To Go, users can restrict access to the data with a pass code, as well as set a policy that requires users to apply BitLocker protection to removable drives before being able to write to them. The feature also provides configurable read-only support for removable devices on older versions of Windows so BitLocker-protected files can be shared.