|
Microsoft has long been accused of leveraging its Windows marketshare to unfairly enter new markets (think web browsers and media players, among others). This generated a good bit of negative publicity, as well as some high-profile lawsuits, but it seemed to work pretty well for the company. Is history poised to repeat itself with the introduction of Microsoft's commercial security products this summer?
Microsoft plans to announce its Windows OneCare Live software in June for a cost of US$50 a year. That money will buy you protection against viruses along with enhanced firewall and backup software, and it has the potential to change the security software landscape. Unlike in the "browser wars," Microsoft will not be bundling the product with Vista, in large part due to antitrust concerns. Without that massive advantage, can the company make itself a major player in the security space?
One established player, McAfee, recently claimed that they aren't worried about this possibility. In an interview, McAfee president Kevin Weiss said that Microsoft does not have the years of experience necessary to win over consumers.
"Security is hard—we have been doing this for 15 years. We have over 10 patents that are focused right at security. We think we have a pretty significant lead in what we are doing. Security is not something you do part-time," said Weiss.
Bold words. Weiss went on to claim that Microsoft is only solving problems that were relevant years ago—claims that Microsoft itself recently made about OpenOffice.org.
"The interesting thing, though, is that [Microsoft's] solution is really addressing yesterday's problem—not necessarily today's or tomorrow's. There is no integrated anti-spyware. It is a standalone solution. There is no anti-phishing; there is no anti-spam," said Weiss.
|