14 DAY TRIAL // The Security Center is not an aspect of the operating system introduced with Windows Vista. The fact of the matter is that the center has been available initially with Windows XP Service Pack 2. However, the latest operating system from Microsoft, advertised as the safest Windows platform available deals a whole range of enhancements to the Security Center. And just to be clear on one aspect, the Security Center is not a singular feature, but a sum of security mitigations including: the Firewall, Automatic Updating, Antivirus, Antispyware, Internet Security Settings and User Account Control.
"Windows Vista has improved on almost every feature found in the Security Center. A lot more "under the covers" features have been included for Windows Vista. If any of these safeguards are out of date or in an unsecure state, the Security Center will warn you so that you can make adjustments or changes. Some of the other improvements to the Windows Vista Security Center include: showing the status of software designed to protect against spyware (such as Windows Defender) that helps to keep your computer safe with the latest downloads and updates; security settings for Internet Explorer 7 and notification if User Account Control has been changed or is no longer enabled," revealed Nick White, Microsoft Product Manager.
The Windows Vista Security Center will check the state of Windows Firewall, and the status of the auto-update feature, as well as the correct security settings for Internet Explorer 7 and those of the User Account Control. Essentially, the Security Center will monitor all the security settings of the various built-in mitigations in Vista and issue alerts if foul play is detected. The monitoring capabilities of the Windows Vista Security Center also extend to third party security solutions integrated with the operating system.
"Windows Vista Security Center checks for antivirus software and warns you if your settings are not configured correctly. If you prefer to run an additional antivirus application, the Security Center will give the status of both if the third-party application uses the underlying API that allows such reporting," White added. "In Windows Vista, newer features and the prevalence of spyware required additional refinements to the Security Center. Windows Security Center now checks and reports if Windows Defender or another company's anti-spyware software is running. When you're using both Windows Defender and third-party anti-spyware software, Windows Security Center will monitor definitions for both as well as warn you if there are any irregularities in your settings."