MS Anti Virus?

[Andre Ludwig <andre.ludwig () gmail com>]

Oh this should be good...


http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=5429092

 SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile,
Research) is still on track to offer an anti-virus product that will
compete against similar software offered by Symantec Corp. (SYMC.O:
Quote, Profile, Research) and Network Associates Inc. (NET.N: Quote,
Profile, Research) , the world's largest software maker said late on
Monday.

Mike Nash, chief of Microsoft's security business unit, told reporters
that Microsoft is developing software to protect personal computers
running Windows against malicious software, the worms and viruses that
have plagued users with data loss, shutdowns and disruptions in Web
traffic in recent years.

"We're still planning to offer our own AV (anti-virus) product," Nash said.

Asked if that would hurt sales of competing products, such as Network
Associates' McAfee and Symantec's Norton family of products, Nash said
that Microsoft said that it would sell its anti-virus program as a
separate product from Windows, rather than including it in Windows.

Redmond, Washington-based acquired anti-virus technology from GeCAD
Software Srl., a Romanian software company, last year to develop its
own software.

Microsoft, whose Windows operating system is a favorite target for
computer viruses, launched a company-wide "Trustworthy Computing"
campaign in early 2002 to boost the security and reliability of its
software.

Nash did not give a time frame for the release of Microsoft's
anti-virus software.



and another 

http://www.entmag.com/news/article.asp?EditorialsID=6272



by Scott Bekker

6/16/04

Microsoft is leaning toward offering a paid anti-virus subscription service.

Mike Nash, corporate vice president for the security business and
technology unit at Microsoft, said Microsoft will probably sell its
own anti-virus software and subscription service. It is the first
public signal that Microsoft intends to turn its acquisition of the
Romanian anti-virus company GeCAD into a product customers pay for.

The comments came up at a dinner with reporters in Seattle on Monday
night when Nash was asked how Microsoft's anti-virus efforts might
affect Symantec. "I want to make sure customers have another choice,"
the Bloomberg News agency quoted Nash as saying. "Some people will
continue to use Symantec, and some will use ours."

-- advertisement --

Shares of Symantec, which gets 85 percent of its revenues from
anti-virus products, were down following Nash's comments, according to
Bloomberg.

Previously, Microsoft had been coy about its plans for GeCAD, which it
acquired last June. "This acquisition will help us and our partner
anti-virus providers further mitigate risks from these threats," Nash
said at the time, implying Microsoft would use GeCAD's programming
talent to make Windows and other Microsoft products more resistant to
viruses.

But Microsoft also immediately indicated at the time that it was fully
evaluating how to proceed with GeCAD's technology and employees. In a
white paper published last June on Microsoft's Web site, the company
wrote, "Details of the Microsoft antivirus solution, including any
product plans, pricing, and a timeline for delivery, are not yet
available. Microsoft strongly recommends that customers continue to
use antivirus solutions from industry partners and keep their virus
signatures updated."

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