Joshua Hoffman

When have we had a year in the history of Information Technology that we haven't had to talk about security? For that matter, when have we had an issue in the history of TechNet Magazine where we didn't talk about security? It is the one ever-persistent theme. Products, features, technology trends—they all come and go. But security is here to stay.

Of course, just because it's a persistent theme doesn't mean that it's static. The subtleties and nuances of information security are constantly changing with the times, and an argument can be made that they are becoming ever more complex. As the volume of data grows and the lines between our computers and "the cloud" blur, it becomes increasingly difficult to put a fence around the information that's important to you or critical to your business.

But we've never shied away from complexity! This month we present our annual security issue. To start us off, Chris Corio, a veteran of the Windows Security team at Microsoft, takes an exciting look at the security features and enhancements coming with the impending release of Windows 7, and John Morello walks us through the changes to the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. By the way, this is just the beginning of our Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 coverage. You'll find much more over the coming months at .com, and through the Microsoft Springboard Series at microsoft.com/springboard.

Clearly, security issues aren't confined to the operating system, so there's plenty more. Paul Randal, one of our contributing editors and our resident SQL expert, highlights 10 common security issues in SQL, and of course, their solutions. We also learn about securing what are probably our most common forms of communication—e-mail and instant messaging—with the new Microsoft Forefront line of security software.

And though I know I've just gotten you ramped up to dive into this great security content, I want to take a moment to welcome a new magazine to our fold. The Architecture Journal, along with its editor-in-chief Diego Degum, has joined the MSDN and TechNet Magazine group here at Microsoft. The Architecture Journal covers all matters related to software and IT architecture, so you may well already be familiar with them. But just in case, head over to msdn.microsoft.com/architecture to have a look at their most recent content (which includes some great material on Green Computing). We're excited to have them on board, and you'll surely be hearing more from the Architecture Journal team as our groups continue to work even more closely.

In the meantime, enjoy the annual security issue. As always, feel free to drop us a line anytime with your questions, comments, and feedback at tnmag@microsoft.com.

—Joshua Hoffman

Thanks to the following Microsoft technical experts: Karri Alexion-Tiernan, Niamh Coleman, Eran Dvir, Lambert Green, Devrim Iyigun, Brita Jenquin, Amith Krishnan, Michel LaFantano, Anthony Leibovitz, Michael Murgulo, Sanjeev Nair, Scott Schnoll, Oded Shekel, Sean Siler, Kimberly L. Tripp, and Winni Verhoef.