Hardening Windows (Expert's Voice)

Rating:
Summary: Great read, very informative
Review: If network security is your thing, then you just have to get this book. You'll know exactly what you need to do with all the detail the author provides you with, though you never feel bogged down with too much. The book is a clear, quick read and is easily understood. It will be very easy to check your progress with the checklist style used. This book is highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Very practical material...
Review: If you're a Windows network administrator responsible for making sure your environment is secure, you'll be interested in reading the book Hardening Windows by Jonathan Hassell (Apress).

The chapter breakdown: Hardening: Theory and General Practice; Windows NT Security; Windows 2000 Security; Windows XP Security; Defining Enterprise Security Policies with Windows 2000 and Later; Patch Management; Network Access Quarantine Control; Internet Information Services Security; Exchange 2000 Server Security; Security Auditing and Event Logs; Quick Reference Checklists; Index

A couple things to keep in mind when you read this book. The target audience is definitely network administrators, as there is plenty of talk about group, system, and security policies. If you're looking for a book to help you secure your home laptop, this isn't it. The other thing to remember is that this isn't meant to be a comprehensive reference manual to explain every last security setting. It's meant to be a practical "quick reference" to help you focus on what it takes to make a Windows environment secure. Even with that caveat, there's a lot of information packed into less than 200 pages.

The key word that typlifies this book is "practical". Hassell uses a lot of lists and charts to show recommended settings to ensure a secure environment. In addition to that, each chapter ends with a "Checkpoints" list that enables you to get a quick list of activities and rules to implement in order to maximize your time and efforts. An experienced administrator could use this to make sure nothing has been forgotten, and a new administrator would do well to use this as a roadmap.