Windows® Server 2008 R2 Security Baseline beta

For any security professional one of the the key tenets is base lining you system. Microsoft has made this easer with a new set of tools.  The beta 2 version of the Windows® Server 2008 R2 Security Baseline is now available for you to download… and it now includes a setting pack!

What is a setting pack?
Since the release of the Security Compliance Manager (SCM) tool, one of the most frequent requests has been to add all of the available Group Policy settings to the Microsoft security baselines so that you can access them in the SCM tool. While our baselines include hundreds of settings, there are hundreds of additional settings available in Group Policy. In response to this request, the team created setting packs. The setting packs include the basic information required by the SCM tool to define custom baselines that you can use to create GPO backups, DCM configuration packs, and SCAP content. You can learn more about setting packs on the program description page. Use the links provided in this message to join the program or go directly to the program description page.
Meet your business-critical needs and elevate the security of Windows Server 2008 R2 with this updated beta 2 security baseline and the new setting pack. It combines best-practice guidance with the Security Compliance Manager (SCM) tool to help you plan, deploy, and monitor the security of your Windows Server 2008 R2 servers.

Preview this new security baseline, and get the knowledge to effectively deploy and monitor your security baseline for Windows Server 2008 R2 faster and easier.

This beta 2 security baseline for Windows Server 2008 R2 is formatted for easy import using SCM. You must first join the program

and then use the Download link found in the upper left hand corner of the Connect page. You will find detailed instructions about how to import the download file into SCM on the here