Re: OMB to require standard Windows desktop configuration

On Jul 23, 11:29 pm, Edwin <thorn...@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
In response to Jim Polaski's devastating news about Auto Warehousing
Co. switching to Macs, I thought I'd post about Microsoft's 'meager'
gains:

"The Office of Management and Budget will require agencies to move to
a standard configuration for Microsoft Windows desktop by Feb.1,
2008."

"In a memo that will be signed off on as early as today by OMB Deputy
Director for Management Clay Johnson, and supplemented by an e-mail
that went out today to CIOs from OMB Administrator for E-government
and IT Karen Evans, the White House is expanding the work the Air
Force did with Microsoft Corp. governmentwide."

"Starting in 2004, the Air Force began shifting more than 525,000
desktop computers to three "predetermined configurations. It also
preconfigured all software on its computers with security settings
specific to Air Force requirements."

"The Army also is following the Air Force's lead and implementing the
standard configuration."

"The National Institute of Standards and Technology worked with the
Air Force and other Defense Department agencies to develop guidance
about securing Windows operating systems, including XP and Vista. OMB
is making this guidance mandatory in order to improve IT security
across the government, experts said."

"OMB's memo will require agencies to develop plans by May 1 on how
they will implement the standard configuration, said a government
official familiar with the memo but who requested anonymity because
the document hadn't been issued. The plans must include how they will
test the configuration, automate enforcement to use these permitted
structures, restrict administrator rights and address other issues."

"Agencies by June 30 also must make sure all newly purchased desktops
and other hardware and software purchases include the standard
configuration, the official said."

"This should make it easy for everyone, agencies and vendors, because
there is nothing subject to interpretation," the official said. "The
developers will have to develop against the same configuration."

Dear Edwin,

some misguided people would say that you simply post some stuff you
find on the internet without really understanding what the source
content is all about.

Why don't you show those doubters how good you are at explaining the
point of your sampled expertise and explain exactly what the bits you
managed to cut and paste really mean.

Question 1: what is a 'standard implementation' of Windows in the
context stated and who would use it under which conditions?

Question 2: What precise advice did the 'National Institute of
Standards and Technology' give to the state departments and how much
did it cost the tax payer to request and implement the standards they
recommended?

Question 3:
"OMB is making this guidance mandatory in order to improve IT security
across the government, experts said"
Do you think it takes an expert to say whether the OMB is actually
implementing the requirements it has requested in the first place and
which were confirmed in a memo to tell us that that the guidance is
now mandatory?

Question 4:
"Agencies by June 30 also must make sure all newly purchased desktops
and other hardware and software purchases include the standard
configuration, the official said. This should make it easy for
everyone, agencies and vendors, because there is nothing subject to
interpretation," the official said. "The developers will have to
develop against the same configuration."

Don't you feel a bit silly copying and pasting some stuff you managed
to find on the web which just tells you that you have paid your taxes
to subsidise some guy who, quite possibly, doesn't even know what
developers do, because how could somebody assert that from now on 'the
developers will have to develop against (sic) the same
configuration'?




.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OMB to require standard Windows desktop configuration
    ... "The Office of Management and Budget will require agencies to move to ... a standard configuration for Microsoft Windows desktop by Feb.1, ... "Starting in 2004, the Air Force began shifting more than 525,000 ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • OMB to require standard Windows desktop configuration
    ... "The Office of Management and Budget will require agencies to move to ... a standard configuration for Microsoft Windows desktop by Feb.1, ... "Starting in 2004, the Air Force began shifting more than 525,000 ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: OMB to require standard Windows desktop configuration
    ... "The Office of Management and Budget will require agencies to move to ... a standard configuration for Microsoft Windows desktop by Feb.1, ... "Starting in 2004, the Air Force began shifting more than 525,000 ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: OMB to require standard Windows desktop configuration
    ... "The Office of Management and Budget will require agencies to move to ... a standard configuration for Microsoft Windows desktop by Feb.1, ... "Starting in 2004, the Air Force began shifting more than 525,000 ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: OMB to require standard Windows desktop configuration
    ... a standard configuration for Microsoft Windows desktop by Feb.1, ... Director for Management Clay Johnson, ... about securing Windows operating systems, ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)