Educate and train users about the security settings that are available to protect their documents.

There are no administrative settings that allow you to enforce security preferences that you specify. Even if you set and deploy security preferences, users can change these preferences at a later time. Therefore, if you are deploying security settings as part of your organization's policy, you must educate your users about the risks associated with changing default settings.

Install all available updates.

Turn on AutoUpdate to receive security patches or updates.

For more information about how to use the automatic update feature in Office 2008, see Configuring AutoUpdate for Office 2008 in the Office 2008 Deployment section.

Preset security preferences.

You can preset security preferences and deploy these settings.

For more information about the security preferences that you can configure, see the following topics in the Office 2008 Security section:

For more information about how to deploy your security preferences, see Deploy Office 2008 security preferences in the Office 2008 Security section.

Download files only from trusted sources.

When you download a file from a Web site, make sure that you know the source. When in doubt, don't download the file.

Install software only from authentic CDs/DVDs.

For example, all Microsoft CDs/DVDs have holograms to prove their authenticity. In general, installing software from authentic, commercially distributed CDs/DVDs is the safest method.

Back up your data regularly.

If a virus erases or corrupts files on your hard disk, a recent backup might be the only way to recover your data. Back up important files, such as documents, pictures, favorite links, address books, and important e-mail messages.

For information about how to back up your Entourage database, see Compacting and backing up the Entourage database in the Office 2008 Operations section.

Don't open suspicious e-mail messages or files.

Even though the Entourage 2008 junk e-mail filter helps protect your Inbox from spam and phishing messages, it is a good idea to avoid opening any attachment in a message that you did not expect to receive, especially if the message is from an unknown source.

Reduce the access of external network connections to open ports on your local network.

Knowing which ports are open can help you assess the security of your system or troubleshoot any connection issues. You should close the ports that you do not use.

For more information about the ports that are used by Entourage 2008, see Default ports for Entourage 2008 in the Office 2008 Planning section.

Implement password-controlled access to the network.

For more information about security in Mac OS X, see the following topics in the Office 2008 Security section:

Use the password protection features in Office 2008 for accessing documents.

Word 2008 and Excel 2008 provide password protection features.

For more information about how to use the password protection features in Word 2008 and Excel 2008, see Configure document protection settings in Office 2008 in the Office 2008 Security section.

Use executable files with valid signatures.

Executable files purchased from software manufacturers should always have a valid digital signature as part of a certificate obtained from a certification authority. If a product does not have a valid certificate of trust, we recommend that you do not install it. However, if that is not an option, evaluate the product before you distribute it to users to make sure that it performs only as expected and does not intentionally or unintentionally distribute a virus.