Microsoft® Lync® Server 2013 Unleashed Second Edition

Using Operating System Firewalls

In Windows Server 2003 SP1, Microsoft introduced an integrated firewall into the Windows operating system. As with most Microsoft products, it has improved with each iteration. Flash-forward to Windows Server 2012 and you find that the integrated firewall is quite good. Lync Server does an excellent job of integrating into the Windows Server Firewall at the time of installation.

Layering an operating system layer firewall with a network layer firewall is an excellent way to improve overall security of a system with minimal expense. With these two layered together, if the network firewall becomes compromised, the attacker has to pierce the OS layer firewall to compromise the systems. Similarly, given that many ...