Microsoft's latest version of the Windows operating system, Windows 7, arrived on Thursday, along with security experts' predictions that a focus on more user-friendly security measures will help better secure the platform.

Inside the enterprise, Microsoft's AppLocker will allow IT administrators to control which applications users are allowed to run, which BitLocker to Go will help secure data on USB keys. Yet, the most important change may be what Microsoft has taken away: The interminable user access control (UAC) dialog boxes of Windows Vista, which became fodder for Apple's marketing department and became the fall guy for Vista's less than stellar sales.

Making the security features more user-friendly may be the most important aspect of Windows 7 security, said Sean Sullivan, security advisor for the antivirus firm F-Secure's North American labs.

"It doesn't have radically different security features than Windows Vista," Sullivan said. "They did change the user experience — the user experience in Windows 7 looks to be a lot better."

Another security feature where Microsoft improved the user experience is the way Windows changes the network security settings of the operating system, when the computer moves to a different network, said Sullivan.

"The laptop is the node that moves outside the firewall," he said. "People go outside the security of the firewall and of the network, and then come back in. So, there are features that you would like to have to keep secure."

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