Updated: Security Compliance Management Toolkit series

  • Article

Microsoft's solution accelerator, Security Compliance Management Toolkit, was updated last week. You can download it here or view the updated documentation here. This solution accelerator provides you with expanded best practices and additional automation tools to help configure and deploy security settings for: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP Professional SP3, and 2007 Office System SP1.

This series includes the following toolkits:

  • Windows Server 2008 Security Compliance Management Toolkit
  • Windows Server 2003 Security Compliance Management Toolkit
  • Windows Vista Security Compliance Management Toolkit
  • Windows XP Security Compliance Management Toolkit
  • 2007 Microsoft Office Security Compliance Management Toolkit

Each of the Security Compliance Management Toolkits includes the following components:

  • Security guide. Each toolkit includes an updated version of a previously released security guides for either Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2003, or 2007 Microsoft Office. The guidance provides you with best practices and automated tools to help you plan and deploy your security baselines.
  • Attack Surface Reference workbook. A resource that lists the changes introduced as server roles are installed on computers running Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008, for the toolkits specific to these operating systems.
  • Security Baseline Settings workbook. A resource that lists all of the prescribed settings for each of the preconfigured security baselines that the security guides recommend.
  • Security Baseline XML. XML files that allow your organization to consume the data defined in the security baseline settings workbooks.
  • GPOAccelerator tool. A tool that you can use to create all the Group Policy objects (GPOs) you need to deploy your chosen security configuration. This release also supports Windows Server 2003, and creating security configurations on machines not joined to a domain.
  • INF Files. INF files for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008.
  • Baseline Compliance Management Overview. The overview discusses best practices on how to monitor security baselines for Windows operating systems and Office applications.
  • DCM Configuration Pack User Guide. A step-by-step prescriptive user guide about how to use the Configurations Packs with the DCM feature in Configuration Manager 2007 SP1.
  • DCM Configuration Packs. The toolkit series includes 26 Configuration Packs.

- Andrea Weiss