A new security report released last week indicates that Windows Vista experiences dramatically fewer malicious-software infections than Windows XP.

The Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, volume six, contains findings from the second half of 2008. Here's a key finding based on the the Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) that's built into Windows:

Malicious software infection rates differ significantly for different versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. Windows Vista was less infected at any service pack level than Windows XP. Comparing the latest service packs for each version, the infection rate of Windows Vista SP1 is 60.6 percent less than that of Windows XP SP3.

We bolded the latter half of that sentence so you wouldn't miss it. If you're the least bit concerned about security (and you should be, given that "Infections by rogue security software (sometimes called 'scareware') spiked dramatically worldwide in the second half of 2008), it's time to face facts: Vista is more significantly more secure than XP.

Ergo, Vista is the only logical choice when deploying new PCs. Organizations still clinging to XP do so at their own peril.

You can download the full Security Intelligence Report, and watch a 10-minute video that analyzes key trends, at Microsoft's Malware Protection Center.