Security at the Forefront -- Redmondmag.com

Security at the Forefront

By Doug Barney
11/16/2006

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.

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