Microsoft isn’t just bringing the heavily-missed Start menu in Windows 10, but it also bringing in a lot many security features baked right into the OS that will not only provide a more secure user experience, but will also likely make life of hackers a little difficult.
With every new iteration of Windows, there are always enhancements that users wait for. But with Windows 10, Microsoft has upped the ante in the security game by incorporating features such as multi-factor authentication, data segregation, system lockdown, among other things.
Multi-factor Authentication
Windows powered laptops and desktops have had support for third party hardware and software that provided for dual-factor or even multi-factor authentication, but with Windows 10, Microsoft is baking that feature right into the OS.
Windows Phone users can configure their device to be connected through to their Windows 10 laptop or desktop either through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. If the system doesn’t detect the Windows Phone, it won’t let the user log-on. Though such a feature has been available on HP built systems, providing such a security feature as native to Windows 10 is a huge improvement.
Data Segregation
This term is widely used in information security systems where data needs to be segregated based on an organisation’s classification rules or policies. For this reason, organisations were required to install access control software that provided for classification levels beyond other data security systems including encryption software.
Windows 10 takes away that headache to a certain extent by allowing IT admins to mark data, applications, email, website content among other things as ‘corporate’. As and when Windows 10 detects such marked data, it will automatically apply encryption without user intervention. The whole process will be hidden from end-users and they wouldn’t be required to intervene in the process at all.
System Lockdown
This is one of the biggest nightmares for IT administrators in any organisation. End users would always want to try that new piece of software they downloaded from the Internet and there is no better place to try it out than their work system.
Microsoft has provided inbuilt functionality using which IT admins can define a set of applications that are safe and trusted. Beyond this list of apps, users won’t be able to install any apps or software on their systems. One of the requirement for these trusted applications is that they must be signed by Microsoft authorised signing service. Organisations will have complete control over which apps and software they trust. One particular scenario where this feature would be extremely useful is retail POS systems.
