Windows Live OneCare 2.0, offered as an annual subscription for a three-user licence, includes upgrades and unlimited support. The beta of version 2.0 is a free download.
The beta version includes a new multi-PC and home network management feature that will aid the management of multiple PC environments by offering a single navigation bar for monitoring the security and maintenance of networked computers.
The software makes it easy to connect printers to local networks so all users can access the same printer. It also provides a summary in the Windows Live OneCare dialogue box of activities and recommended actions for all PCs in a network.
The newest version of the package adds support for 64-bit PC systems and speeds up PC boot time by removing rarely used applications from the startup menu.
A proactive fixes and recommendations feature will look at the configuration of a system and make proactive fixes and recommendations.
In a blog posting, OneCare lead product manager Gina Narkunas says users increasingly need to do the extra work involved in connecting devices and securing networks, as well as multiple PCs.
In addition, this version tackles the needs of small businesses that may not have the resources for onsite IT support. For example, it provides new functionality for backing up data, and protection against malware.
The version, which comes just six months after the launch of OneCare 1.5 in January, includes new tools for locking down wireless networks and an automated, self-adjusting firewall.
Forrester Research analyst Natalie Lambert says the offer of coverage for multiple PCs at a lower costs will push other software suppliers to cut their own pricing and will change consumer perceptions about the cost of antivirus tools.
"The market is dramatically changing and Microsoft is part of the reason for that," Lambert says. "If you look at demand, consumers are not as willing to pay for security software as they were in the past.
"They've found ways to get these programs for free and Microsoft started some of that activity by driving prices down."
OneCare 2.0 appears to have pulled Microsoft closer to some of its rivals, Lambert says, although many consumers may not be ready to use all of the tools.
Even so, researchers at Austria-based AV-Comparatives, managed by security expert Andreas Clementi, rate the first version of OneCare last in a comparative test with similar products from other security developers in handling large numbers of Trojan horses, viruses and worms.
Germany's G Data Security Software came out on top, capturing 99.45 per cent of the malicious code, while Microsoft's software was beaten by 16 other products, including offerings from Symantec, McAfee, Kaspersky Lab and F-Secure.
In stopping systems intrusion through back doors and other malware attacks, OneCare ranked last out of 13 vendors with 79.6 per cent detection.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Microsoft security puts pressure on
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Projity Launches Beta of OpenProj, the Open Source Replacement of Microsoft Project
Projity, a leader in on-demand software for the enterprise, SME and SMB markets announced today that the public beta of OpenProj, a complete open source desktop replacement of Microsoft Project, is now being beta tested in over 400 customer sites comprising over 5000 seats. OpenProj, an important component to the open source ecosystem, takes the risk away for customers and allows them to use the product as needed, on demand.
San Mateo, CA (PRWEB) August 8, 2007 -- Projity, a leader in on-demand software for the enterprise, SME and SMB markets announced today that the public beta of OpenProj, a complete open source desktop replacement of Microsoft Project, is now being beta tested in over 400 customer sites comprising over 5000 seats. OpenProj, an important component to the open source ecosystem, is a complete replacement of Microsoft Project and available on Linux, Unix, Mac or Windows.
Since over 28 million users have Microsoft Project installed on their computers, OpenProj offers another opportunity for project managers and anyone trying to manage any type of project. Instead of a $1,000 license fee for Microsoft Project, Projity customers can download OpenProj for free and available on multiple platforms. "The Projity team has received tremendous feedback from key industry leaders, who are already using OpenProj to satisfy their desktop needs," said Marc O'Brien, CEO, Projity. "We have been working on this launch for a while. The Proijty team is excited to provide worldwide usage of a free and open source project management solution that is a complete replacement of Microsoft Project and other desktop solutions. OpenProj's familiar user interface and ability to open existing native Microsoft files makes migrating both free and seamless"
"OpenProj is an exciting addition to the range of professional desktop applications that are available on the free software desktop today. It's increasingly possible to run your business on an entirely open Linux platform, with full compatibility across free software applications and your legacy documents. Congratulations to the Projity team for this milestone release!" said Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu CEO
OpenProj builds upon Projity's SaaS release, Project-ON-Demand. OpenProj offers a seamless migration for Microsoft Project files which open easily, and features a simple user interface. OpenProj's value for the Linux, Unix, Mac, Windows and open source communities is compelling.
"Projity's release of OpenProj is an important addition to the open source marketplace. The project management area now has a full equivalent to the commercial software market. OpenProj is a terrific addition for users of OpenOffice and other open source solutions," said Larry Augustin, SourceForge founder and venture capitalist. Free downloads are also available at http://www.projity.com/openproj
About Projity:
Projity is a Silicon Valley and French company with offices in San Mateo, Paris and India. The company founders have been instrumental in the development of the project management software industry, dating to the mainframe and DOS solutions. Projity was founded with a mission of providing SaaS and open source alternatives to existing legacy solutions. Projity currently has three solutions: Project-ON-Demand (SaaS), Projity Enterprise and OpenProj (open source). There are currently over 100 companies using Project-ON-Demand to manage their projects. There has been tremendous worldwide interest with users in China, Russia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, India, Korea, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, South Africa in addition to the many U.S. and European companies.
Projity, OpenProj and Project-ON-Demand are trademarks of Projity Incorporated. Other names used may be trademarks of their respective owners.
Industry Testimonials
"Projity's release of OpenProj is an important addition to the open source marketplace. The project management area now has a full equivalent to the commercial software market. OpenProj is a terrific addition for users of OpenOffice and other open source solutions"
Larry Augustin, Sorceforge Founder and venture capitalist
"OpenProj is an exciting addition to the range of professional desktop applications that are available on the free software desktop today. It's increasingly possible to run your business on an entirely open Linux platform, with full compatibility across free software applications and your legacy documents. Congratulations to the Projity team for this milestone release!"
Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu CEO
"We are very excited by the OpenProj software: it clearly fills a gap and we are glad there is now a robust and complete solution for project management from the open source community, we look forward to incorporate it in our distro and make it available to our users"
Francois Bancilhon, CEO Mandriva
"Novell supports all community efforts to bring more applications to the Linux desktop," said Justin Steinman, director of marketing for Linux and Open Platform Solutions at Novell. "OpenProj addresses an important customer need -- the availability of an open source application for project management. As more users migrate to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop and OpenOffice.org, these users will be seeking tools like OpenProj to help them complete their daily business tasks."
Justin Steinman, director of marketing for Linux and Open Platform Solutions at Novell
"OpenProj is one of the applications that IT Professionals, Project Managers and every other Open Source businesses all around the World would want. Freedom to share, freedom to deploy, freedom to use. This is what Market wants. Every day a new brick towards the Open Source platform completeness is put, and this is a big one."
Fabio Erculiani, CEO Sabayon Linux
"OpenProj looks very promising. I have no doubt it will soon seduce people and we'll see individuals and companies switch to OpenProj the same way they previously switched to projects like Firefox or OpenOffice."
Clement Lefebvre, LinuxMint
"Project managers now have a high quality, cross-platform project management solution available with an open source business model. Projity's OpenPROJ is not only compatible with the format used by the most widely used project management tool, but also offers an easy migration path for those who want to explore its features with their existing project data."
Tony Wasserman,
Director, Software Management Program, Carnegie Mellon West
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Microsoft to launch Windows Live installer beta
Microsoft is touting an addition to its Windows Live offering that will download and install software allowing consumers to connect to multiple online services.
During his presentation at Microsoft's Financial Analysts Day last week, Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft's Platform and Services Division, mentioned the Windows Live installer. He said that the software maker would begin beta testing it this summer.
He described it as a single download that will let consumers connect to multiple Live-branded hosted services, such as e-mail and messaging. People will be able to access these services from different devices, including PCs and phones, he said.
"This unified installation experience is one example of the more integrated experience we'll deliver with the next generation of Windows Live services," Johnson said.
Microsoft last month started beta testing two products that are part of what will be Windows Live suite: Windows Live Photo Gallery, which lets people organise and share photos on a PC and online, and online storage service Windows Live Folders.
In response to a question, Johnson argued that integration of Microsoft's Live services is a key selling point for the company.
Microsoft Readies Beta Program For Web Analytics Software
Microsoft plans to launch a beta test program for its forthcoming "Gatineau" Web analytics tool as soon as this summer, a company official said on his Internet blog.
Ian Thomas, of Microsoft's Digital Advertising Solutions Group, said in the posting that the program will be open to a limited number of beta testers "so you may have to wait to be admitted."
Microsoft is designing Gatineau to compete with products from Google, Omniture, and other vendors in the market for software that allows businesses to create detailed traffic reports for their Web sites. The company hasn't released a final ship date for Gatineau.
In his blog, Thomas let slip a number of other details about the product.
"Beta 1 will include the ability to segment data by both age and gender buckets, so you can get more of an idea of what kind of visitors you have," Thomas wrote in a posting that appeared over the weekend.
Thomas said Gatineau gathers Web visitor data anonymously and doesn't collect any personally identifiable information such as names or e-mail addresses.
Thomas wrote that he wanted to divulge more information about the product, but joked that "my implant started beeping.
"Will be back once I've checked with legal," he wrote.
Gatineau is just one of several efforts that Microsoft has undertaken of late to increase its footprint in the market for Web advertising tools and services.
In May, the company said it had acquired Screen Tonic SA, a European manufacturer of software designed to connect online advertisers with users of mobile phones and other digital devices. Last week, Microsoft announced a partnership with Ask.com under which customers of Microsoft's paid search program will see their listings appear on sites operated by Ask.com and its partners.
Microsoft releases Remote Desktop for Mac 2.0 beta
Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit has kept true to its promise from a couple of weeks ago by announcing an update to its Remote Desktop Connection client today... in beta form. RDC 2.0 for Mac (beta 1) has been a looooong time coming, and finally brings RDC up to Universal Binary status. But that's just the beginning of the listed features. According to Microsoft's download site, here are some features you can expect to see in the new beta:
Universal Binary
Runs natively on both Intel-based and PowerPC-based Macs.
Remote Desktop Protocol 6.0
Provides better compatibility with Windows Vista, improved security features, and many other improvements.
Multiple Sessions
Lets you connect to multiple Windows-based computers at the same time.
Improved User Experience
Provides a true Mac experience and improved usability.
Improved Customization Options
Lets you change application preferences, including keyboard shortcuts, while you are running a session. Changes take effect the next time that you connect.
Dynamic Screen Resizing
Lets you resize your session window or switch to full-screen mode during a session.
Improved Printing Support
Supports all configured printers on your Mac. No longer limited to PostScript printers.
For those not familiar, RDC allows you to remote desktop into your Windows computer from a Mac. And despite Microsoft's sometimes shoddy reputation among Mac users, RDC works pretty darn well for the task at hand. It's not virtualization of course, and so people who want to run Windows apps natively will still want to run something like Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion. However, RDC is certainly very helpful for performing small tasks on a Windows machine that's across the room, down the hall, or on the other side of campus (as the case may be).
Also announced today was an update to Microsoft's Office Open XML File Format Converter. The software was originally released in May of this year as a way to convert Open XML documents created with the Windows version of Office 2007 to a Mac-friendly format. Version 0.2 (Beta) "improves conversion of Word documents that contain XML content, inline graphics, hyperlinked graphics, WMF/EMF graphics, SmartArt graphics, tracked changes in the document header and footer, Unicode characters, and Japanese Rubi fields," writes Microsoft. "In addition, this version succeeds when converting Word documents that contain bibliography fields, citation fields, and complex tables."
The RDC beta is currently only available in English, although you can expect that other languages will be supported once the final version is released. It also expires on March 31, 2008—but luckily for us, RDC is free (or has been in the past, anyway), so when the final version gets released, you hopefully won't be put in a bind. The Open XML converter expires at the end of 2007.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Microsoft's VoIP Plans Take A Step Forward
Although it won't launch until the fall, Microsoft's Friday release to manufacturing of two key components of its VoIP strategy is probably causing some tinkling of champagne glasses in Redmond.
Office Communications Server 2007 and the Office Communicator client are now code complete, Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft's Business Division, said Thursday at the vendor's annual analyst meeting.
"We're one step close to delivering the products that will establish Microsoft as a major force in communications," said Raikes, adding that Microsoft expects to be able to help organizations cut their enterprise telephony costs in half.
Office Communications Server 2007, in public beta since March, promises to bring VoIP telephony, instant messaging, conferencing and presence under a single PC-focused umbrella.
The interest in OCS 2007 for most customers will be with the integration with Exchange unified messaging, says Jay Lendl, vice president of Microsoft services at Granite Pointe Partners, a Plymouth, Minn.-based solution provider.
"It's important to have a single view of the internal teams and people that you work with, and have presence be a part of collaboration, whether it's through text, speech, video conferencing," said Lendl.
During a Q&A session, Raikes was asked about the challenge posed by Cisco in the VoIP market, and said that Microsoft's software based solution offers superior cost savings and broader functionality.
"Customers are truly seeing the magic of software in this instance. They see they will get more capabilities at less cost than the traditional approaches of any of the existing players," Raikes said.
Amir Sohrabi, executive vice president of MSPX, an Arlington, Va.-based VoIP specialist that partners with Microsoft, Cisco, and Avaya, believes Microsoft is best positioned to make inroads into the VoIP market.
"OCS 2007 uses SIP (session initiation protocol), which allows it to work with different vendors for VoIP interoperability. Cisco, in contrast, has a closed, proprietary system, which drives up the cost of the solution," said Sohrabi.
Microsoft needs to make sure players have the right skill sets to deploy VoIP, and they've provided a good way to measure this with its recently unveiled voice specialization, Sohrabi said.
"Any partner that's going to be involved with rolling out OCS 2007 and Exchange 2007 is going to need VoIP skills, because now you're reaching out into the enterprise and touching mission critical systems," said Sohrabi.
Microsoft on Friday also took the wraps off Beta 2 of Visual Studio 2008 and Beta 2 of .NET Framework 3.5, and also rolled out the final release candidate of Silverlight.
Microsoft Releases Batch Of Development Products
The code includes betas for .Net Framework 3.5, Visual Studio 2008, and the Ajax Control Toolkit; a release candidate for Silverlight 1.0; and a pre-alpha of the IronRuby dynamic programming language.
By J. Nicholas Hoover
It's been a good week for Microsoft developers. The software company announced over the course of the last few days that it had released betas for .Net Framework 3.5, Visual Studio 2008, and the Ajax Control Toolkit; a release candidate for Silverlight 1.0; and a pre-alpha of the IronRuby dynamic programming language.
Probably the biggest milestone of the bunch is the second beta for Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft's flagship development software, the final version of which is slated to be released by the end of the year. The new beta includes all the features that will be found in the final version, including an add-in that allows developers to create rich Internet applications with Silverlight, Firefox support for XBAP (XML Browser Applications, which are Web apps designed in Windows Presentation Foundation), and the ability to target multiple versions of the .Net Framework.
Released along with the new Visual Studio beta was version 3.5 of the .Net Framework, which doesn't break applications designed in 3.0, unlike previous versions. "As a company, Microsoft continues to invest in our .Net Framework," said Thom Robbins, Microsoft's director of the .Net platform, in an interview. "It's our core technology."
Included in both Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 and .Net Framework 3.5 Beta 2 is a Go Live license, which means developers using those products can put them onto production machines and start using them for live applications. That indicates Microsoft has thoroughly tested both and is ramping up customer support.
The release candidate of Silverlight 1.0, Microsoft's rich Internet application platform, means the company is readying the final version, which should be out sometime soon as a platform mainly designed for media scenarios. The follow-up release, Silverlight 1.1, will add support for .Net code, a dynamic language runtime that will let developers code for Silverlight in popular languages such as Ruby and Python, and a layout tool.
Finally, Microsoft also this week announced it had released early code for IronRuby, the company's Ruby-on-.Net scripting language, and a new beta for the Ajax Control Toolkit, which helps developers create Ajax Web apps.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Microsoft Set To Show Off Hosting Tools, Apps
Microsoft said it will provide users with a look at several new technologies that it plans to include or support in its forthcoming Windows Server 2008 server operating system.
Microsoft this week is set to demonstrate a number of key new hosting technologies that will enable service providers to offer up some of the company's tools and applications over the Web. At the HostingCon 2007 conference in Chicago, Microsoft said it will highlight new hosting-related development tools and applications for the first time.
Among other things, Microsoft said it will provide users with a look at several new technologies -- such as integrated health management for Web services, Windows optimized PHP, and delegated administration controls -- that it plans to include or support in its forthcoming Windows Server 2008 server operating system.
On Monday, Microsoft disclosed that cPanel, a developer of Web hosting control panel software, will later this year produce a version of its product for Windows Server 2008. The company has traditionally developed hosting automation tools only for Linux and FreeBSD environments.
Microsoft is ramping up efforts to offer some of its products as hosted services -- either directly or through partners -- in an effort to keep pace with Web specialists like Google and Yahoo. Microsoft CRM, Exchange Server, and 40 applications from the Windows SharePoint Services suite are among the products the company has already made available as hosted services.
Microsoft also recently released a beta version of Internet Information Services 7.0 -- a Web server built into Windows Server 2008 that features a number of new online publishing and security technologies.
Under a so-called Go Live license, users can now deploy ISS 7.0 into production environments accessible to customers. The caveat: Microsoft says it's not responsible for any problems the beta software might cause.
Microsoft plans to release the full version of Windows Server 2008 in February.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Rumor: Windows Vista SP1 Beta Due Soon
Rumors of a Vista Service Pack continue to surface, the latest coming from Winbeta.org which posted an e-mail from the Windows Driver Kit mailing list which seems to hint at a service pack release in the very near future.
The e-mail in question tells driver developers that “this WDK beta release to Connect coincides with the recent OS beta release for Vista SP1 Preview,” however, Microsoft later issued an apology saying that what it meant to write was Windows Server 2008.
But that hasn’t stopped the rumor mills. PCWorld reports that sources close to the company have been told that SP1 would be released by now and since today is the day Microsoft will announce its fiscal 2007 fourth quarter and year-end financial results, SP1 would be a nice way to cap those off.
Given that many users, particularly large corporate companies, have said they will hold off on upgrading until the first Vista service pack update is available, even a beta release of SP1 could boost Microsoft’s sales.
Microsoft also needs to contend with the upcoming release of Leopard, Apple’s next OS upgrade and a Vista SP1 could be a good way to steal a bit of Apple’s thunder.
For its part Microsoft remains mum about any specifics regarding a Vista SP1 release.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Server 2008 beta to improve security, say analysts
This promises to be a big year for Microsoft. It started 2007 with the consumer roll-out of its new client operating system, and it will see the year out by shipping the long-awaited Windows 2008 Server.
With security at the top of the agenda, users will be eager to see how watertight the system really is. Microsoft has already had a chance to refine its security technologies by including key security components in Vista, many of which have made their way into the server's code.
However, Vista has been criticised by some security experts for issues such as its handling of user privileges and its apparently interminable security alerts. When Windows Server 2008 finally ships, will it fare any better?
According to online reviews and some analysts, the signs are good. Rob Enderle, founder of analyst firm the Enderle Group, says that his contacts in Microsoft's Community Technology Preview programme have been so impressed with the new features that they have begun deploying the beta version already.
"It is the almost exact opposite of the reception that Vista got. With that, you could not find anyone to deploy it," Enderle says.
Microsoft UK's Windows server product manager, Gareth Hall, breaks down the security enhancements in Server 2008 into two main categories: direct server security and features that extend security across the rest of the company.
Streamlined installation
The first category includes Server Core, an installation option stemming from work that Microsoft did to make its operating system code more modular. As part of the development process for Windows Server 2008, a lot of work was put into separating the operating system into components. "That lets us understand dependencies and strip out big chunks of code," says Hall.
The result of this is an installation option in which many features are not just disabled, but excluded from the code base altogether, stripping about 65% of the code out of the system and limiting its exposure to attack.
Services such as the ASP.net Framework, Internet Explorer and Media Player can be removed, leaving a system configured for specific, limited roles such as file and print serving or domain name and domain controlling. Administrators will need to install the full operating system to turn the system into a proper application server.
This concentration on configuring the server for different roles also affects the host-based firewall, which for the first time is turned on in the server operating system by default. The built-in firewall, unlike Microsoft's application-level ISA Server firewall, blocks traffic at the port level according to the role that the administrator defines for it.
"When you add a role it also opens up the necessary firewall ports," says Hall. "In the past, many users may have just switched on the function and opened up the whole firewall because that was regarded as the quick and easy way of doing security. This is a great way to ensure that Windows opens up just the stuff that you need to open up."
Microsoft has merged the administration of the firewall and the IP security protocol into a single panel for the Microsoft Management Console, which Hall hopes will make it easier to configure the two.
The firewall can be programmed to automatically check the integrity of incoming traffic by using IP security if that traffic comes from a Vista or Windows Server 2008 system. "This means that even for someone to talk to a server or client, before you can send a packet you need to authenticate first," Hall says.
Administrator skills gap?
In spite of the streamlined interface, there may be some poorly trained administrators who will not be able to configure the firewall properly. This might become a problem, particularly when using applications not specifically designed with a host-based firewall in mind, because their functions could be crippled if they try to operate over ports that have been closed down by default.
"An easy-to-use enterprise firewall in the SME market is a natural oxymoron," says Enderle. "Typically, what defines an SME is that it does not have a professional IT infrastructure."
Nevertheless, it is still probably going to be easier to use the firewall system in Server 2008 than the firewalls that administrators have grappled with in the past, Enderle says. And if all else fails, that management and configuration overhead can be passed on to a third-party to deal with.
Microsoft has been working on a Windows 2008 logo programme to help smooth the path for independent software suppliers that need to test their applications to work with the new configuration.
"Previous 'certified for Windows'-type programmes were challenging," Hall says, noting that the company has altered the Windows Server 2008 compliance scheme to make it easier and faster for independent software suppliers to get their applications certified.
That compliance programme will also be an important resource for suppliers of legacy code that want to upgrade their products to take advantage of the more secure operating system. Microsoft has made it possible to reduce the privilege level of individual services, meaning that applications can use service accounts that do not have to run at administrator level.
However, legacy code may not always work well with less privileged users, especially when developers code in administrator mode themselves. Enderle says that applications unable to take advantage of this could present opportunities for attackers. "Window Server 2008 does have the ability to run code designed for older servers, but that code could be compromised when it does," he says.
One way around this will be to run a virtualised server, sandboxing those legacy applications so that they do not damage the rest of the system if they are compromised.
However, Microsoft is behind the rest of the market on hypervisor platforms, and will not be ready with its Virtualisation Server product when Server 2008 launches. A beta version included at launch will be replaced by a final version 180 days after Server 2008 hits the shelves.
Infrastructure changes
All of these security measures directly affect the security of the server, but others focus on locking down other parts of the infrastructure. The big development here is Network Access Protection (Nap), which is Microsoft's version of the client compliance technologies now sold by other companies such as Cisco and Symantec.
The concept is to use Windows Server to check the security status of the client. An enforcement server bundled with the operating system queries the client when it tries to connect, checks for the existence of anti-virus and anti-spyware software and monitors the timeliness of the anti-virus signatures. Other client conditions including software and operating system patches can also be checked.
The enforcement server gets a statement of health from an agent on the client machine, which it then feeds to a policy server. The policy server then makes decisions about how much access to grant to the client depending on its condition.
The process can be conducted several ways: whenever a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request is made (although this is not advisable, because clients could use a static address), via a compatible IEEE 802.1X-enabled access point, or via a virtual private network. The most secure, says Hall, is the IPSec-based enforcement system using an IPSec-based certificate of health downloaded to the client.
Bridging the gaps
The system will be compliant both with Cisco's own network-access control (Nac) standard and also with the Trusted Computing Group's trusted network connect protocol, which Cisco does not support. Microsoft will, therefore, become the default bridge between Cisco and everyone else.
This is not the insular Microsoft that most people will remember from the 1990s, says Enderle. "This is old Microsoft. They bridged suppliers in the early years and then they forgot it in the 1990s. They seem to be remembering that now, and they seem to be being rewarded," he says.
Security firms such as Symantec, whose territory Microsoft is increasingly encroaching on with its move into security products and services, are prepared to support its efforts. "Our goal is to get into as many networks as possible in as unintrusive a manner as we can," says Rich Langston, senior product manager for network access control at Symantec. "We will support the Nap protocol once Server 2008 ships."
But not everyone is convinced that these client compliance measures will result in widespread adoption. Users have expressed concerns about the readiness of the technology and the concept's underlying ease of use.
Mike Cherry, analyst at research firm Directions on Microsoft, worries that the interoperability is potentially dangerous. "At this point, all the engineers are talking and everything is fine. Let's say we have a mix of gear from Microsoft, Cisco and Symantec. When I have a problem, who do I call? And are they going to work together?" he says.
Cherry says that the gloves may come off when the concept starts to sell. "They can all talk nice. But if they start losing share from each other, it is going to be interesting to see what happens then."
Dan Clark, vice-president of marketing at network access control technology supplier Lockdown Networks, warns that users should tread softly with Nap, as with any other client compliance system.
Lockdown provides agentless technology that conducts client health checks from within the network. It has built Nap compliance into its products, hoping that users will use it to complement Nap for conducting health checks on non-Microsoft equipment. Microsoft is only providing a Nap client-side agent for Vista and XP SP2.
Clark says that it is important to get networking and security teams working closely together before designing client compliance systems, because the two disciplines converge closely and the actions of one team will affect the other.
"The smart thing to do is to define policies and go into non-enforcement mode where you are checking and reporting on what would happen, but where you do not enforce," Clark says. "That way you can scope its impact, and then have graceful turn-on."
Graceful is a good term for the security features in Windows Server 2008. It harbours an elegantly designed set of security mechanisms that will go at least some of the way towards helping in the battle against the hackers.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Microsoft Releases Windows Live OneCare 2.0 In Beta
Microsoft on Wednesday released for download the beta version of its Windows Live OneCare 2.0 -- the software maker's all-in-one toolset for PC security and maintenance.
The OneCare upgrade offers several new options, such as multi-PC and home network management, and printer-sharing support for local networks. As part of the software's "tune-up process," the OneCare beta looks at the configuration of a user's system and either makes fixes on its own or makes recommendations.
The upgrade also speeds up PC boot time by removing rarely used applications from the start-up menu, and provides monthly summaries of key activities and recommended actions for PCs on a local network.
Other new features include the ability to centrally configure and monitor backups for PCs covered under the same OneCare subscription, with the data from all the machines going to one location. The software also can be configured to back up photos and other important data online through Windows Live Folders, which is available at an additional cost. Finally, the upgrade offers Wi-Fi connection security to protect wireless data transfers.
While Microsoft is making a big push into PC security with OneCare, the first version didn't stack up to rivals in antivirus protection, according to at least one independent study.
Andreas Clementi, who runs Innsbruck, Austria-based AV Comparatives, placed OneCare dead last when it came to tackling massive numbers of Trojans, viruses and worms. Microsoft's software was beat by 16 other vendors, with Germany's G Data Security Software coming out on top.
"Virus Bulletin," a U.K.-based publication whose VB100 tests are considered one of the benchmarks of the anti-virus industry, also flunked Live OneCare in its tests.
To beta-test OneCare 2.0 won't cost you a dime, but the full-service version will. Currently, Microsoft charges an annual fee of $49.95 to install Windows Live OneCare on up to three computers. Prices for version 2.0 have not been released.