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	July 12, 2007 Best Practices: Server Operating System Security Consistency Is The Key To Success by Jennifer Albornoz Mulligan with Laura Koetzle, Alissa Dill

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Executive Summary

Security managers are at their wits' ends trying to keep their servers secure from the deluge of new vulnerabilities across all operating systems. Why? Because as systems grow more complex, it becomes more difficult to maintain proper access controls and mitigate new vulnerabilities. To uncover server security best practices, Forrester spoke with 137 leading firms handling large numbers of servers. Our research uncovered best practices in three areas: server patching, server hygiene, and access control. Sound obvious? Perhaps, but our research revealed that very few security managers manage to deploy most of these best practices consistently and effectively.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Server Security Is Tough — And It's Getting Tougher
• Best Demonstrated Practices
• Server Operating System Security Best Practice No. 1: Server Hygiene
• Server Operating System Security Best Practice No. 2: Server Patching
• Server Operating System Security Best Practice No. 3: Access Control
• Forrester's Server Operating System Security Next Practices
• Identifying Your Challenges
• Measuring Your Success
• Case Studies
• Supplemental Material
• Related Research Documents

This is an excerpt