TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Microsoft Lauches Security Plan for Windows

Microsoft Lauches Security Plan for Windows

Allison Linn (ap@telecom-digest.org)
Tue, 30 May 2006 21:57:41 -0500

By ALLISON LINN, AP Business Writer

Security software makers, the 800-pound gorilla has landed. Microsoft Corp.
was to announce Wednesday that it is releasing software that aims to better
protect people who use its Windows operating system from Internet attacks.

The move pits the world's largest software maker head-to-head with longtime
business partners Symantec Corp., McAfee Inc. and others.

Windows Live OneCare, which will protect up to three computers for $49.95
per year, marks the latest step in Microsoft's effort over the years to make
its operating system less vulnerable to crippling Internet attacks.

Windows, which runs on the vast majority of personal computers, has been a
near-constant target of worms, viruses and other attacks, hurting countless
users and forcing Microsoft to invest heavily in patching vulnerabilities
and improving flaws.

The official release of the OneCare product comes after months of public
testing. Redmond-based Microsoft has previously said that its main focus for
OneCare was the 70 percent of computer users who, according to Microsoft
estimates, have no additional protection at all.

But in an interview last week, Ryan Hamlin, general manager for the OneCare
product, said the company also hopes to snag existing Symantec and McAfee
customers.

"We'd love for those customers to use our product, and encourage them to,
but there's also 70 percent that don't use anybody," he said.

Microsoft is hoping to gain an edge against Symantec and others by also
including tools in OneCare to make computers run more smoothly and help
people back up data.

McAfee said Tuesday that it was preparing to release a new security service,
code-named Falcon, this summer. A spokesman for Symantec, maker of the
popular Norton products, said no one was available to comment on the OneCare
competition.

Hamlin said he expects the product to be profitable for Microsoft.

He said the company doesn't have any current plans to bundle OneCare into
the Windows operating system, as it has done with products such as its
Internet browser and music and video player. But he said the company was
looking at ways to distribute the product through computer makers or
Internet service providers, as many competing security software makers have
done.

The OneCare release also comes on the heels of a federal lawsuit Symantec
filed against Microsoft over a separate matter.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Seattle, accuses Microsoft of
misappropriating Symantec's intellectual property and breach of contract.
The dispute is over is over a technology that allows operating systems to
handle large amounts of data.

Hamlin said Microsoft believes it acted appropriately.

On the Net:

http://onecare.live.com

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or)
http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For more news and headlines from Associated Press, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html

Post Followup Article Use your browser's quoting feature to quote article into reply
Go to Next message: vwrobert@gmail.com: "Add Voicemail to Partner or Get Different System"
Go to Previous message: Reuters News Wire: "Computer Program Helps Locate, Fight Bird Flu"
Next in thread: mc: "Re: Microsoft Lauches Security Plan for Windows"
May be reply: mc: "Re: Microsoft Lauches Security Plan for Windows"
May be reply: David: "Re: Microsoft Lauches Security Plan for Windows"
May be reply: William Warren: "Re: Microsoft Lauches Security Plan for Windows"
TELECOM Digest: Home Page