Microsoft to release test versions of its new security softwares

tags:Technology The eagerly anticipated news from Microsoft came today from CEO Steve Ballmer and VP of Security Technology Unit Mike Nash in Munich, Germany.  The announcements included plans to release Microsoft® Client Protection, an enterprise solution for businesses that protects company networks and servers from malware threats. The software will offer IT administrators central management capabilities and work with Microsoft's Active Directory and Windows Server Updates Services patch management tool, the company said. Microsoft also announced the creation of SecureIT Alliance, to "further enable participating security partners to efficiently integrate their solutions with the Microsoft platform to build new security features and products for the benefit of their common customers."
 
Microsoft did not say how much the new product will cost or when it will be available in final form. A "limited beta" is due out by the end of the year and Microsoft plans to share additional details on the new product in the coming months, it said in a statement. Licensing and pricing have not yet been announced.  Plans were also announced to release Microsoft's new Antigen application, an integrated anti-spam and anti-virus for messaging and collaboration servers based on technology from Sybari, a recent Microsoft acquisition. Microsoft Antigen for Exchange is anticipated to be available in beta in the first half of 2006.
 
"This is the first time that we are providing our own products that provide a complete security shield for businesses," said Debby Fry Wilson, director of security engineering and communications at Microsoft. The company will charge for Client Protection but has yet to decide how it will be delivered, she said. Ballmer stated "At Microsoft, we’re investing heavily in security because we want customers to be able to trust their computing experiences, so they can realize the full benefits of the interconnected world we live in," Ballmer said. "With the continuing onslaught of malware, viruses, phishing attacks and other kinds of Internet fraud, creating a more secure computing environment requires a concerted, long-term effort on the part of all technology companies, as well as customers and governments."
 
The company had previously said it would deliver security products for businesses, pitting it against established players such as Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro. Microsoft on Thursday also announced the formation of the SecureIT Alliance, a new group focused on providing security products to users of Microsoft products. The alliance includes Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro, along with F-Secure and VeriSign. Microsoft is already testing Windows OneCare, the consumer counterpart of the newly announced Client Protection product. On Thursday, Fry Wilson said the company plans to deliver the final version of OneCare sometime next year.
 
Three other Microsoft-branded Antigen products will also be available in beta next year, Fry Wilson said. These are Microsoft Antigen for SMTP Gateways, Microsoft Antigen Spam Manager and Microsoft Antigen Enterprise Manager, the representative said.
 
Thursday's announcements show Microsoft has not put security on the back burner, but the company continues to lag in actually delivering products and in providing clear road maps, said Michael Cherry, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft.
 
The company has made several security-related acquisitions, including ID management company Alacris last month and hosted e-mail security provider FrontBridge in July. Analysts, however, have criticized Microsoft before for not having a clearer and more productive strategy.
 
"We have spent and invested two years in laying the groundwork. We are now moving into a new phase of focus where we will be offering new products and services to provide defense-in-depth technologies to help customers secure their networks and systems," Fry Wilson said.
 
The "groundwork," according to Fry Wilson, first and foremost was the delivery last year of Windows XP Service Pack 2, a security-focused update to the operating system. Other pieces, she said, include the beta of Windows AntiSpyware and the launch of a new patching service in June called Microsoft Update.
 
Investors apparently see Microsoft's incursion into Symantec and McAfee's territory as a danger. On Thursday, Cupertino's Symantec fell 4.6 percent, or $1.03, to close at $21.56. McAfee, of Santa Clara, declined 1.7 percent, or 54 cents, to close at $30.57.
 
Microsoft says it will have a major advantage over competitors in corporate antivirus protection because the new security system will be integrated into Microsoft systems. For example, the new programs will make use of the updating service that Microsoft customers already use to deliver new versions of the operating system.
 
Now, Microsoft will sell products that fight Internet threats directly. Some in the computing industry welcomed the news, with reservations.