Microsoft will offer free anti-virus software.
Posted: Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:29 am
(Now from the "15 years a little too late/the horse has left the barn" file...lol)
Microsoft will offer free anti-virus software.
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/ ... morro.html
Live OneCare is Dead, But Life Comes to 'Morro'
News Analysis. Years ago, I said this day would come. Microsoft will offer free anti-virus software. But the company plans to stop short of bundling with Windows.
After market close today, Microsoft announced that Windows Live OneCare would be permanently retired on June 30, 2009. Microsoft is moving out of the paid product/service security suite market and will instead offer a free malware engine, including anti-virus and anti-spyware technologies, starting in second half 2009.
arrow.gifGOT A TIP OR RUMOR?
The new security software, codename "Morro," incorporates new anti-malware technologies. But the big difference is the price, which won't excite many Microsoft security software partners. Morro's free pricing is a hugely significant move, and there's big market expansion behind the strategy. Microsoft is developing Moro primarily for Windows sold into emerging markets or to people in mature markets that don't regularly update—or even have—security software.
Implications I see:
* Many consumer security software companies now rely on subscription revenue; free and easily available Microsoft software could further reduce the number of anti-malware developers. Who can compete with free? From Microsoft? Fewer products, in a category as crucial as security, could in the future create even greater security risks.
* Microsoft is going to get blamed for Windows security vulnerabilities, whether or not the company is at fault. So given a situation of doing nothing and being blamed or doing something and still being blamed, action is the better approach. Unprotected consumer PCs are a threat to everyone, including Microsoft business customers. Better protecting consumers protects the Windows brand.
* Emerging markets should be a security priority. Security software is even less likely to bundled with new PCs than here, and there are huge piracy problems. If Microsoft is truly committed to security, Morro will be freely available to any Windows PCs; pirated or paid for. But I don't expect that Microsoft is really committed enough to put security before commerce, which is shortsighted. The reduction in Windows malware should improve commerce, as the operating system becomes a safer consumer choice for computing.
* Morro is as much about netbooks and other non-traditional PC devices as emerging markets. Windows Live OneCare is resource intensive, but Microsoft plans on Morro being much lighter weight. There might even be a future for Morro on smartphones.
Meet "Morro"
Earlier this evening, I spoke with Amy Barzdukas, Online Services and Windows division senior director of product management, about Morro. She explained some reasons for Microsoft developing the product and how it will be distributed.
On distribution: "Morro will not be part of the operating system," Amy said. "Morro will be a separate solution that sits on top of the operating system." Separate? No doubt, following Microsoft's Morro announcement, some security software executives cracked BlackBerries asking subordinates: "Do we have antitrust attorneys on retainer?" Amy didn't say this—we didn't discuss antitrust matters: Microsoft is most likely to sidestep antitrust problems by offering Morro separately rather than part of Windows.
So, why Morro? "The security threats are more pervasive than ever, but in many cases quieter than ever," Amy asserted. "Our concern is that many consumers no longer have a degree of concern around security that leads them to keep their consumer security protection up to date." Microsoft estimates that in the United States 60 percent of consumers "either don't or won't pay for anti-malware protection."
I don't understand Microsoft's strategy and told Amy so. If Microsoft is so concerned about malware infestations in emerging markets, why wait? Why not give away OneCare for free now and replace it with Morro later next year?
She said that "the suite solution that OneCare delivers is really optimized for broadband connections [and] high-speed, multi-PC households and in many cases is too large to meet the needs of emerging economies where the broadband speed is a fraction of our broadband speed."
Her response sounded like double-talk to me. Years ago, Microsoft touted how well OneCare was optimized for slower connections, by trickling down updates bit by bit. To that Amy responded: "That certainly is the case, that updates trickle down." She shifted back to "there's a lot of weight in there" argument against security suites' appropriateness for emerging markets. But there are other OneCare shortcomings. "We're not engineered with netbooks in mind, for example," she said. "We don't want to give people a sub-optimal solution." That means no free OneCare for emerging markets.
So, is Morro for everybody? "I think Morro will be the right solution for consumers that just want core anti-malware protection," Amy said. "We don't expect Morro to meet the needs of every consumer."
What is core anti-malware? "What we're talking about is the full range of anti-virus, anti-spyware [and] anti-rootkits," Amy responded. "It does not include firewall, for example." Instead, during installation Morro checks for a firewall, which would be present and (my words) adequately functional on Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista PCs; Morro also makes sure the security function is turned on.
Morro will interact with Windows in similar fashion as OneCare. "It basically replaces [Windows] Defender, and we would anticipate that Morro would operate in a similar way. But until we get to beta, I would be premature talking about the architecture."
What's With the Name?
I wondered if Microsoft would distribute Morro through Windows Update, seeing as the goal is to protect as many PCs as possible. Because consumers might have other security software for which there could be negative interaction, "It wouldn't be anyone's best interests to jam it down," Amy said. "It will definitely be an opt-in model. Our goal will be to make it very broadly available internationally, and we'll have a bit more to say about distribution as we get closer to the beta."
Behind every Microsoft codename there is a story, so I asked Amy about Morro. "There is a beach town in Brazil," she said. "We like our codenames to be named after cities. We were sitting around talking about different cities, and I had just come back from a trip to Brazil, visiting down there and really looking at what the consumer security situation was in Brazil."
The trip's host had told Amy that "Morro Sao Paulo was a fabulous place and the next time I came in I needed more time so that I could go to the beach. We chose that [name] because I just got back from Brazil and it sounded like a great place to go."
Will Morro be a great place for Microsoft customers to go? Maybe if the security software does what Amy expects of it. "We see this as a strong step making consumers more happy with their overall Windows experience."
Microsoft will offer free anti-virus software.
http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/ ... morro.html
Live OneCare is Dead, But Life Comes to 'Morro'
News Analysis. Years ago, I said this day would come. Microsoft will offer free anti-virus software. But the company plans to stop short of bundling with Windows.
After market close today, Microsoft announced that Windows Live OneCare would be permanently retired on June 30, 2009. Microsoft is moving out of the paid product/service security suite market and will instead offer a free malware engine, including anti-virus and anti-spyware technologies, starting in second half 2009.
arrow.gifGOT A TIP OR RUMOR?
The new security software, codename "Morro," incorporates new anti-malware technologies. But the big difference is the price, which won't excite many Microsoft security software partners. Morro's free pricing is a hugely significant move, and there's big market expansion behind the strategy. Microsoft is developing Moro primarily for Windows sold into emerging markets or to people in mature markets that don't regularly update—or even have—security software.
Implications I see:
* Many consumer security software companies now rely on subscription revenue; free and easily available Microsoft software could further reduce the number of anti-malware developers. Who can compete with free? From Microsoft? Fewer products, in a category as crucial as security, could in the future create even greater security risks.
* Microsoft is going to get blamed for Windows security vulnerabilities, whether or not the company is at fault. So given a situation of doing nothing and being blamed or doing something and still being blamed, action is the better approach. Unprotected consumer PCs are a threat to everyone, including Microsoft business customers. Better protecting consumers protects the Windows brand.
* Emerging markets should be a security priority. Security software is even less likely to bundled with new PCs than here, and there are huge piracy problems. If Microsoft is truly committed to security, Morro will be freely available to any Windows PCs; pirated or paid for. But I don't expect that Microsoft is really committed enough to put security before commerce, which is shortsighted. The reduction in Windows malware should improve commerce, as the operating system becomes a safer consumer choice for computing.
* Morro is as much about netbooks and other non-traditional PC devices as emerging markets. Windows Live OneCare is resource intensive, but Microsoft plans on Morro being much lighter weight. There might even be a future for Morro on smartphones.
Meet "Morro"
Earlier this evening, I spoke with Amy Barzdukas, Online Services and Windows division senior director of product management, about Morro. She explained some reasons for Microsoft developing the product and how it will be distributed.
On distribution: "Morro will not be part of the operating system," Amy said. "Morro will be a separate solution that sits on top of the operating system." Separate? No doubt, following Microsoft's Morro announcement, some security software executives cracked BlackBerries asking subordinates: "Do we have antitrust attorneys on retainer?" Amy didn't say this—we didn't discuss antitrust matters: Microsoft is most likely to sidestep antitrust problems by offering Morro separately rather than part of Windows.
So, why Morro? "The security threats are more pervasive than ever, but in many cases quieter than ever," Amy asserted. "Our concern is that many consumers no longer have a degree of concern around security that leads them to keep their consumer security protection up to date." Microsoft estimates that in the United States 60 percent of consumers "either don't or won't pay for anti-malware protection."
I don't understand Microsoft's strategy and told Amy so. If Microsoft is so concerned about malware infestations in emerging markets, why wait? Why not give away OneCare for free now and replace it with Morro later next year?
She said that "the suite solution that OneCare delivers is really optimized for broadband connections [and] high-speed, multi-PC households and in many cases is too large to meet the needs of emerging economies where the broadband speed is a fraction of our broadband speed."
Her response sounded like double-talk to me. Years ago, Microsoft touted how well OneCare was optimized for slower connections, by trickling down updates bit by bit. To that Amy responded: "That certainly is the case, that updates trickle down." She shifted back to "there's a lot of weight in there" argument against security suites' appropriateness for emerging markets. But there are other OneCare shortcomings. "We're not engineered with netbooks in mind, for example," she said. "We don't want to give people a sub-optimal solution." That means no free OneCare for emerging markets.
So, is Morro for everybody? "I think Morro will be the right solution for consumers that just want core anti-malware protection," Amy said. "We don't expect Morro to meet the needs of every consumer."
What is core anti-malware? "What we're talking about is the full range of anti-virus, anti-spyware [and] anti-rootkits," Amy responded. "It does not include firewall, for example." Instead, during installation Morro checks for a firewall, which would be present and (my words) adequately functional on Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista PCs; Morro also makes sure the security function is turned on.
Morro will interact with Windows in similar fashion as OneCare. "It basically replaces [Windows] Defender, and we would anticipate that Morro would operate in a similar way. But until we get to beta, I would be premature talking about the architecture."
What's With the Name?
I wondered if Microsoft would distribute Morro through Windows Update, seeing as the goal is to protect as many PCs as possible. Because consumers might have other security software for which there could be negative interaction, "It wouldn't be anyone's best interests to jam it down," Amy said. "It will definitely be an opt-in model. Our goal will be to make it very broadly available internationally, and we'll have a bit more to say about distribution as we get closer to the beta."
Behind every Microsoft codename there is a story, so I asked Amy about Morro. "There is a beach town in Brazil," she said. "We like our codenames to be named after cities. We were sitting around talking about different cities, and I had just come back from a trip to Brazil, visiting down there and really looking at what the consumer security situation was in Brazil."
The trip's host had told Amy that "Morro Sao Paulo was a fabulous place and the next time I came in I needed more time so that I could go to the beach. We chose that [name] because I just got back from Brazil and it sounded like a great place to go."
Will Morro be a great place for Microsoft customers to go? Maybe if the security software does what Amy expects of it. "We see this as a strong step making consumers more happy with their overall Windows experience."