A Uniform Desktop Is a Secure Desktop
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The Office of Management and Budget has mandated that, starting Feb. 1, all federal agencies using Windows XP and Vista must adopt the standard security configurations developed by NIST, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security as part of the Federal Desktop Core Configuration. But the FDCC also provides a good framework for ensuring secure civilian desktop and laptop configurations.
By Cameron Sturdevant
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technololgy) provides a baseline reference image for the FDCC at its Web site, fdcc.nist.gov.
Cameron Sturdevant is the executive editor of Enterprise Networking Planet. Prior to ENP, Cameron was technical analyst at PCWeek Labs, starting in 1997. Cameron finished up as the eWEEK Labs Technical Director in 2012. Before his extensive labs tenure Cameron paid his IT dues working in technical support and sales engineering at a software publishing firm . Cameron also spent two years with a database development firm, integrating applications with mainframe legacy programs. Cameron's areas of expertise include virtual and physical IT infrastructure, cloud computing, enterprise networking and mobility. In addition to reviews, Cameron has covered monolithic enterprise management systems throughout their lifecycles, providing the eWEEK reader with all-important history and context. Cameron takes special care in cultivating his IT manager contacts, to ensure that his analysis is grounded in real-world concern. Follow Cameron on Twitter at csturdevant, or reach him by email at cameron.sturdevant@quinstreet.com.
