Windows 8.1 Leverages Hardware Security Technologies

Several Windows 8.1 security features, designed to improve data protection, malware resistance, and protect user credentials, rely on hardware-based security technologies that are not common in legacy or low-cost hardware. Organizations need to understand the value of these hardware-centric security features and update IT strategies and procurement specifications to include them. IT departments should also provide guidance to employees about these technologies and features and implement security policies for personal devices (commonly referred to as bring your own device [BYOD]) that are used to access and store company data.

Hardware Security Technologies

Hardware integrated security capabilities in the Windows OS are largely dependent upon the following:

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware. UEFI is firmware, which replaces the BIOS firmware that computers have traditionally used, and is currently available in most new enterprise-class computers and devices. UEFI provides the same functionality as the system BIOS, but it adds other security features that are used in the boot process.