Chapter 13: Conclusion

Published: December 31, 2003   |   Updated: April 26, 2006

Congratulations. Now that you have finished this guide, you should have a clear understanding of how to assess risks that may affect the security of those computers that run Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 with SP1 in your organization. You have gained an understanding of how to plan and design security into your network infrastructure wherever possible.

This guide included prescriptive guidance that may be applied to any organization. Some of this guidance includes material that was collected from consultants and systems engineers who have implemented Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 solutions in a variety of settings. This material has helped establish a set of best practices for how to make Windows Server 2003 as secure as possible.

Regardless of your organization's environment, security-related matters should be treated seriously. However, many organizations still do not sufficiently address security issues because they mistakenly view security as something that restricts their agility and flexibility. When well-designed security becomes a core business requirement and is planned for at the start of every information technology (IT) project, a properly implemented security strategy can help to improve the availability and performance of your computer systems. However, security that is added to a project as an afterthought can negatively affect usability, stability, and management flexibility. Every organization should include security among its highest priorities.

This guide explained how to effectively mitigate security risks for computers that run Windows Server 2003 with SP1 in three distinct environments. It documented methods for how to plan and design security into your organization's network infrastructure, and provided detailed guidance about how to correct specific vulnerabilities that are commonly found on computers that run Windows Server 2003 with SP1.

The reasons for certain choices were explained in terms of the tradeoffs that must be considered when an organization needs to decide whether to implement each of the countermeasures. Details were provided about how specific countermeasures may affect the functionality, manageability, performance, and reliability of the computers so that you can make informed choices about which countermeasures to implement in your own environment.

Finally, it is important to understand that the task of securing the servers in a network is not a one time project, but rather an ongoing process that organizations must include in their budgets and schedules.

Most organizations that use the Windows Server 2003 operating system would improve their security if they implemented all of the countermeasures that are discussed in this guide. However, when the next serious vulnerability is discovered, these environments may again be quite susceptible to attack. For these reasons, it is essential that you monitor a variety of resources to stay current on security issues related to the operating systems, applications, and devices that are present in your environment.

Every member of the team that produced this guide hopes that you found the material covered in it useful, informative, and easy to understand.

More Information

The following links provide additional information about topics that relate to hardening servers that run Windows Server 2003 with SP1.

  • For more information about security at Microsoft, see the Trustworthy Computing: Security page at www.microsoft.com/mscorp/twc/default.mspx.
  • For more detail about how MOF can assist in your enterprise, see the Microsoft Operations Framework page at www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/cits/mo/mof/default.mspx.

This accelerator is part of a larger series of tools and guidance from Solution Accelerators.

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