Microsoft to launch anti-virus, anti-spyware products
At the security roadmap and product strategy conference in Munich, Ballmer and Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Microsoft's security business and technology unit, will provide details of Microsoft's first commercial dip into the anti-virus and anti-spyware markets.
The products are slated to be called Microsoft Client Protection (anti-spyware) and Microsoft Antigen (antivirus) and result from the company's acquisitions of anti-virus firm Sybari Software and anti-spyware firm Giant earlier this year. Microsoft already owned some antivirus technology, which it bought from Romania's GeCad in 2003.
Peter Watson, chief security advisor for Microsoft Australia and New Zealand, told ZDNet Australia that Client Protection will be released as a beta product for "selected customers" by the end of 2005.
"It is a combination of our Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) and our Anti-spyware tool. We are looking to productise it and make it available into the enterprise space," said Watson.
The MSRT is currently available free to consumers from Microsoft's Web site but Watson explained that the new product has been redesigned to be used by enterprises and will contain a central management interface.
Watson said Microsoft would announce pricing details closer to the time of their actual launch -- after the beta testing phase: "Not sure what we are doing on the pricing front as yet because this is an announcement to say that we are going to make it available as a product."
"Currently [MSRT] is available for users as a download (in beta form) so this is to productise that and allow enterprises to take it up because currently it is only for personal use. The adapters will be there to allow it to link into the enterprise... An early beta will be available for selected customers later this year," said Watson.
Watson explained that the Antigen antivirus product has been reworked to include added functionality and better integration with Microsoft's Exchange and Communicator platforms.
"We have Ramped up Sybari's capability by building [some additional functionality] into it. That will come out for the Exchange and Communicator platform," Watson said.
Even before Microsoft acquired Sybari, the company's security software could be used with Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes messaging servers. Sybari's technology was designed to fight viruses, worms and spam, with such products as Antigen file-filtering.
At the time of the acquisition, Microsoft's Nash said: "Through this acquisition, we're excited...to provide customers with a server-level antivirus solution that delivers advanced file- and content-filtering capabilities."
Microsoft is also announcing the SecureIT Alliance, which is an initiative to help increase the development of security products for Microsoft's various platforms.
"It is creating a structure so people can develop security products on our platform. We are going to drive a whole partner ecosystem," said Microsoft Australia's Watson.