Security at the Forefront
Microsoft's security business is getting broader and broader all the time. This
week, the company
released
a beta of its new Forefront client, one aimed squarely at Symantec, McAfee,
Sunbelt and all the other security vendors.
Redmond also has specific tools, including just-launched protections for Exchange
and SharePoint.
Interestingly, Forefront uses scan engines from CA and Sophos, but not Symantec,
McAfee and others that have complained about Microsoft's plans.
Interop Alliance for Friends Only?
Microsoft has been on an interoperability kick lately, starting with the detente
with Sun a year or two ago, and then the deal with Novell to help ensure that
Windows and Linux servers (with a dash of desktop) work together.
This week, Microsoft announced the Interop
Vendor Alliance. So who are the enemies that have joined hands under this
Microsoft-sponsored umbrella? Why, there's Sun and Novell. Oh, right, they're
friends now!
Well, there are bitter rivals AMD and Citrix, sworn enemies Quest Software
and NEC, and longtime foes BEA and Siemens.
Now, if Apple, Red Hat, IBM and RealNetworks all joined up, then I'd be impressed.
Low-Cost PC Not Low Cost Enough?
AMD's low-cost (read: $250) PC for the third world has been pulled
due to lack of demand. I'm not sure what to make of this. It could be that
$250 is still way expensive for poorer countries (or maybe the fact that Dell
and others sell machines almost as cheap was the death knell). Perhaps it's
that Internet access is still nonexistent. Perhaps the AMD machine was a hunk
of junk.
In any event, AMD hasn't given up on helping the world. Instead of pushing
its own machine (on which it hoped to make a profit), AMD will help MIT build
$100 Linux laptops.
Security Does Matter, After All
News that 20
percent of IT folk will move to Vista tells me one thing: Folks can't run
away from XP's security holes fast enough! Twenty percent might not sound like
a lot, but for IT to migrate this number of systems is pretty dramatic. This
is a boon for hardware makers, especially high-end video board outfits, whose
gear is needed for Vista to run right.
Doug's Mailbag: Open Mouth....
So some of you don't like it when I mention Bill O'Reilly (at least, when it
comes to the
size of his mouth). But some of you really don't like it:
Regarding Bill O'Reilly's mouth: Yes, he is an opinionated blow-hard,
as is everyone in the cable (and network) news business. But please keep your
personal ideologies aside when making similes. It cheapens your article and
objective credibility.
-Tim
Unsubscribe me immediately. This is a tech newsletter/publication, not
a newspaper. I don't need to hear what hippies think. If I did, I would buy
a MAC.
-Anonymous
As always, I like to know what you think! Comment below or e-mail me at [email protected].
About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.