Microsoft criticised over weak security vision
Microsoft criticised over weak security vision
Feb 18, 2005: Despite Microsoft's confident response to Symantec's challenge to unveil its plans to compete in the anti-spyware market, Gartner says that Microsoft's strategy reveals that it will only produce lookalike products instead of taking a lead in the market.
Symantec's CEO, John Thompson, recently pressurised Microsoft into announcing whether its spyware product would be offered as part of its Windows application or as a standalone product.
Thompson wanted to know the full details of the Microsoft strategy, instead of the propaganda fed by Gates' "press machine", as he called it.
Gates responded at the RSA Conference 2005, held in San Francisco, by announcing that Microsoft will release a new version of Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows XP Service Pack 2 with new improved anti-spyware technology for free.
Gates also talked about Internet Explorer 7.0 providing even stronger defences against phishing, malicious software and spyware, with the beta release due out this summer.
However, Gartner said that Microsoft has missed an opportunity to clarify its strategy for the security market and articulate whether it plans to be a leader in consumer and enterprise security solutions across desktop, server and server gateway.
Neil MacDonald, a group vice president and research director at Gartner, said: "Microsoft's overriding goal should be to eliminate the need for AV and AS products.
The decisions to restrict IE 7.0 to the XP platform also suggests that Microsoft wants to force users of older platforms to upgrade if they want improved security.
"If Microsoft wishes to be seen as a responsible industry leader in maintaining security for its products and its customers, it should provide IE 7.0 for Windows 2000 users. Furthermore, instead of making more evolutionary security improvements to IE, Microsoft should announce that it will fundamentally rearchitect IE with security in mind."
MacDonald does however believe that Microsoft's recent announcements do reveal an emerging security strategy, whereby Microsoft will sell a combination of AV and AS detection and removal products for Windows desktops, which will compete directly with the likes of Symantec, McAfee and Computer Associates International.
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