Gain knowledge and skills essential for the design and implementation of a more secure computing environment. Learn how to assess your current security status, identify system priorities, and apply best practices to deploy a framework for improved security in the future.

Learn how to apply security best practices and use available tools and technologies to implement a patch management process and strategy within your organization. Discuss the patch management life cycle with an IT security specialist. Observe how tools such as the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and Software Update Services can help you respond to published security bulletins and establish patch compliance across your infrastructure.

Discover how to apply detailed host hardening guidance to enhance the security of servers used in legacy, enterprise client, and high-security environments. Discuss ways to configure your domain infrastructure through Microsoft Active Directory® and apply security templates to establish security baselines. Identify hardening best practices for domain controllers and member services operating in various roles.

Familiarize yourself with steps to help secure client computers in environments where Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, and Microsoft Windows NT® 4.0 servers are present. Identify best practices for clients in extreme high-security environments. Discuss how to use Group Policy and Administrative Templates to secure Windows 2000 and Windows XP installations and to help with software restriction policies, antivirus strategies, and distributed firewall technologies. Learn how to configure Microsoft Office and Microsoft Internet Explorer to help increase the security of your client environment.

Build on your existing knowledge of server and client security by learning how to apply best practices to implement perimeter and network defenses. Discuss the use of hardware and software firewalls for network and application filtering and how to implement intrusion detection mechanisms. Learn to increase security for wireless network access through the use of encryption and password authentication protocols.

Bolster your knowledge of Windows security and learn how to enhance security for applications and Microsoft Windows Server System™ components, including Microsoft SQL Server™, Microsoft Exchange Server, and Microsoft Windows Small Business Server. Discover new technologies to help protect data and restrict access to sensitive information.

Receive advanced prescriptive guidance to help secure servers and clients in high-security environments. Observe demonstrations of the technologies and practices that help enhance security for local and remote clients.

Interact with Microsoft security experts at the Ask the Experts panel discussion. You've absorbed a full day of security content, now take advantage of this opportunity to ask your IT-specific or developer-specific questions of our panel. The panel consists of event speakers, local Microsoft security specialists, and key security partners, all there to help make sure that you're prepared to bring the day's content into use immediately.