5-Minute Security Advisor

Security and Trustworthy Computing are currently among the most important topics for customers on TechNet. The 5-Minute Security Advisor series has been created to help quickly communicate important security topics, tasks, and issues. The advisor will point to the content necessary to go deeper into technical details or into step-by-step, how-to guides.

In this series, a numbering sequence has been used to identify the appropriate audience for the content. There is overlap among the levels.

100 Level

Written for the small office, always-on home office, and home user interested in security fundamentals. These advisors focus on issues such as:

• Simple Firewall Setup for Home Office Users
• Protecting Your Computer Against Compromise
• Configuring Your Computer for Multiple Users
• Getting the Most from Windows Update (Automated Security Assessment and Updates)
• Essential Security Tools for Home Office and Power Users
• Why Worry About Wireless Security?

200 Level

Topics at this level focus on more technical topics for the Small Office / Home Office (SOHO) and power users. Advisors at this level are written to address issues such as:

• Using the Encrypting File System
• Basic Physical Security
• Using the Internet Connection Firewall
• The Road Warrior's Guide to Laptop Protection
• How Windows XP Protects Your Privacy
• How Outlook Security Works
• Strengthening Wireless Authentication
• Strengthening Wireless Encryption
• Integrating WLANs with Your Wired LANs

300 Level

Information Technology Professionals (IT Pros) and power users will find information here for securing with larger networks and deeper technical security content. Topics will include:

• Configuring Outlook Web Access
• Choosing A Good Password Policy
• Deploying 802.1X With Windows XP

400 Level

IT Pros and network or systems administrators will find topics at this level most helpful. These papers provide an overview of highly technical topics. They are 5-Minute advisors not 5-Day seminars, but they will always contain lots of links to the best technical content available for you to dive deeper into the details. Examples include:

• Recovering Encrypted Data Using EFS
• Signing Office Objects

We will be adding several topics to this library every month, so please check back for updates often. If you have suggestions for future 5-Minute Advisors of if you want to comment please send us your ideas.

Top of page