Posted by Virus Bulletin on Mar 1, 2005
The latest developments on Microsoft's new anti-virus venture.
The news that set industry analysts chattering (and doom-sayers prophesying) last month was Microsoft’s acquisition of email-scanning software provider Sybari Software Inc.
Reaction to the news has been mixed – the feeling of many is that, rather than attempting to enter the AV market itself, Microsoft should concentrate its efforts on securing its current products. Analysts predict that the biggest AV vendors, Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro, will feel the pressure from Microsoft’s entry into the market (indeed share prices of McAfee and Symantec saw a dip immediately following the announcement) and that smaller security firms will face a struggle to remain in the market.
What makes the acquisition intriguing is that Sybari’s product (Antigen) does not have its own scanning engine – instead it allows customers to use virus engines from multiple vendors (which currently include AhnLab, Authentium, CA, Kaspersky, Norman, Sophos and VirusBuster). Symantec representatives have been quick to identify this as a weakness, saying ‘The acquisition does not provide Microsoft with the security and AV response infrastructure necessary to support the virus protection needs of enterprise customers.’ Perhaps in their haste, however, they overlooked the fact that Microsoft has had the Romanian GeCAD AV technology on the backburner since mid-2003 and has said that it plans to add this to the options that run on Antigen.
Gene Hodges, president of McAfee Inc., is confident that his company’s reputation will keep customers loyal, saying, ‘We’ve stopped millions of viruses this year, and Microsoft hasn’t stopped one. So let’s fight.’
Interesting times lie ahead.
Posted on 01 March 2005 by Virus Bulletin
