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Security
Baseline Applicator Tool
The Baseline Applicator Tool (BAT) is an easy-to-use software application that helps secure machines running Microsoft Windows. The BAT automates much of the security baselining process that system administrators perform every time they deploy a new machine. This includes applying operating system security updates, applying local security policy settings, configuring automatic update settings, and installing antivirus software.
The BAT is intended to complement other enterprise management tools by adding two key benefits. First, the BAT secures machines before they touch a network. As soon as a system is attached to the network, it becomes vulnerable. Network-based security configuration systems can never 100% guarantee that a system isn’t compromised when the system is first deployed. Second, the BAT’s flexible deployment mechanism removes all network dependencies. If an enterprise has multiple networks, one BAT can handle securing every machine. As an example, the BAT can be used to secure machines on both classified and unclassified networks.
The key to the BAT’s power and flexibility is the separation of the tool into two separate applications, the BAT and the BAT Manager. The BAT Manager is used to configure every aspect of the security baseline. The BAT simply applies the baseline to client machines. This functional separation isolates policy configuration from policy enforcement, allowing a small number of IT staff members to decide what security policies should be enforced within an enterprise. Since this also shields the end-user from making complex decisions, it ensures that the client process is incredibly simple. So, while the BAT Manager provides limitless power and flexibility, the BAT “just works.”
The BAT has been used extensively by the United States Army Europe (USAREUR). Because of the unique BAT architecture, an extremely small team is able to distribute a product that has been used to secure over 100,000 machines. With over 1,500 downloads a month, this number is growing daily. The product is also vitally important during unit deployments, in which hundreds to thousands of machines have to be secured in a matter of days. The simplicity of the BAT allows a handful of IT personnel to successfully complete what dozens could not do before.
Additional Information
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