Microsoft Announces Plans for No-Cost Consumer Security Offering

To address the growing need for a PC security solution tailored to the demands of emerging markets, Microsoft Corp. plans to offer a new consumer security offering focused on core anti-malware protection.

Code-named “Morro,” this streamlined solution will be available in the second half of 2009 and will provide comprehensive protection from malware including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans.

This new solution, to be offered at no charge to consumers, will be architected for a smaller footprint that will use fewer computing resources, making it ideal for low-bandwidth scenarios or less powerful PCs. As part of Microsoft’s move to focus on this simplified offering, the company also announced today that it will discontinue retail sales of its Windows Live OneCare subscription service effective June 30, 2009.

Microsoft has always created scavengers – like the small fish that hang around sharks waiting to catch small scraps of food.

These include the slew of anti-virus vendors, such as Norton and McAfee, and there are a couple dozen other newer antivirus/malware program vendors that have emerged over the years.

The problem they have all had to face – is protecting the Microsoft operating system – which is proprietary, which means they really don’t know anything about it, because Microsoft wrote it and Microsoft reveals nothing about it. So this was a catch 22 from the beginning.

I believe I have seen all of the major antivirus programs fail at one time or another.

Another problem has been the emergence of so many other type of malware programs – programs which can do damage to you or your computer – like spyware, adware, browser hijackers, phishers trying to steal your identity, and other bad programs, which are all written by hackers.

Microsoft has been under a lot of criticism in recent years about security holes in its products, so now Microsoft is finally trying to do something about it.

Previously Microsoft announced Windows Onecare Live, it’s first true antivirus program, which also does system tuneups and has a backup/restore function.

They also announced their anti spyware program Windows Defender which again you can download for free at http://www.microsoft.com . This program addresses the other problems that Windows Onecare doesn’t, and also contains some great system information tools, and is built in Vista.

I believe Microsoft, being the author of the operating system and programs which all the malware programs are attacking – is in the best position to know how to defend against them. They know the intricacies of the millions of lines of programming code in their software; 3^rd party companies have no way of learning this.

I believe it is Microsoft’s responsibility to provide these utilities to their users, and they should have done this decades ago.

I don’t believe the 3^rd party vendors of these products are doing a very good job.

It is good to see Microsoft doing the right thing – finally.

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