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[Phoenix]

Introducing Windows OneCare!

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software maker, unveiled Thursday plans to launch a computer subscription service that would include anti-virus and security updates for personal computers.

The Redmond, Wash.-based software company said it would initially distribute the service, called "Windows OneCare," among its employees this week and would offer a trial, or beta, service for PCs running Windows later this year. Users would pay a yearly subscription fee.

In addition to providing anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall protection, Windows OneCare will include tools to keep PCs maintained for optimal performance and back up key data.

Microsoft (Research) did not say how much it would charge for the service, which had been expected for a while by the security software community.

Microsoft acquired anti-virus technology from GeCAD Software Srl., a Romanian software company, in 2003 to develop its own software. A major security-focused update to Windows XP, called Service Pack 2, was delivered last year.

Such efforts have hit the shares of major security software vendors. McAfee Inc.'s (Research) shares are down 13 percent so far this year while Symantec Corp.'s (Research) stock has declined 28 percent in the same period.

"We're designing the service so it will continually update and evolve over time," Ryan Hamlin, Microsoft's general manager of the Technology Care and Safety Group said in a statement.

Nearly all of the major anti-virus security programs are designed to be updated regularly over the Internet for a monthly or yearly fee, so that they can cope with new virus threats as they appear.

Apple Computer (Research), which recently launched a major update to its Macintosh computer operating system, has long offered an anti-virus subscription service for its users.

http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/13/technology/microsoft_antivirus.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

So now there is an actual revenue model for patching machines and supplying virus updates. Well at least they were smart enough not to bundle it into the OS and get sued for antitrust again.

 

[borghe]

this is no different than McAfee or Norton. As they said, Apple's been doing it for years.

They will still patch the stuff for free. They have to. Hell knows what would happen if a Melissa epidemic broke out and MS would only patch it after you subscribed to their service.

 

[Phoenix]

I'm not saying its a bad thing by any stretch - its just funny that now they'll have a service to make money to patch your boxes

 

[DarienA]

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/0,39020330,39198263,00.htm

Microsoft OneCare gets a bashing

IT professionals have slammed Microsoft over plans to charge for a security service to protect its own products.

Microsoft on Friday announced an internal beta launch of Windows OneCare, which will be a paid subscription service to block viruses and spyware that affect Windows machines. But users are upset that the software giant wants to make money from securing its own products they say it should have made secure in the first place.

One IT security worker said he was appalled at the idea: "The fact that they are charging is the height of hypocrisy. It is unbelievable that Microsoft is attempting to launch a service to charge customers for protection from flaws in its own products. I feel there should not be a need for that — they should have software that's resilient to that."

ZDNet UK readers wrote they were also angry with Microsoft. "Am I just being cynical or does this sound like a way to make money rather than fix the product?" asked Nick Stevens in a Talkback comment to the article announcing the prouct. "What I am surprised about, considering the high cost of the OS in the first place, is how MS have the gall to charge for this service."

IT consultant John Perczyk added: "Great idea — MS get to turn their security bugs into a revenue stream... Perhaps it should be more correctly renamed 'No one cares'."

An emailed response attributed to Microsoft's director of platform strategy Nick McGrath, said: "Windows OneCare will be a paid subscription service. As it is still early in the product development cycle we have no further details to share at this time. We will keep you posted as we get closer to final availability. What has been announced is internal beta, which will be distributed to Microsoft employees, and represents the first step in Microsoft's plan to offer a comprehensive solution to help consumers protect and maintain the overall 'health' of their PCs."

this is no different than McAfee or Norton. As they said, Apple's been doing it for years.

They will still patch the stuff for free. They have to. Hell knows what would happen if a Melissa epidemic broke out and MS would only patch it after you subscribed to their service.

It's different in that they are creating a paid anti-spyware product when most of the time spyware gets installed on people's PC because their own browser has holes in it...

I have no problem with the antivirus portion... Apple's done that for awhile... but while patches for their OS are free they are going to charge you for a product that scans their own OS to eliminate stuff that gets installed because their own OS has gaps? That I have issues with.

 

[xsarien]

this is no different than McAfee or Norton. As they said, Apple's been doing it for years.

I think it's more the audacity of Microsoft to charge consumers for protection from security holes that shouldn't have been there in the first place, at least as far as the spy-ware is concerned. It's almost like paying Gates protection money.

 

[CaptainABAB]

Not all spyware is installed via browser/OS holes. SOME/MOST of it is installed as part of programs the user downloaded on purpose. How is Microsoft responsible for this?


When I run into a computer that is infiltrated, almost all of the cases were "yeah, I downloaded that calendar utility/file-sharing app/toolbar, why do u ask?"

 

[Macam]

I don't have that much of a problem with it altogether. Microsoft certainly deserves a good deal of flak for allowing Windows to have as many vulnerabilities as it does, but inevitably there will be vulnerabilities that will be found and exploited. That said, Microsoft's OneCare had better be among the best out there and far, far quicker to patch any problems than they have been to date if they care to generate any real revenue from this. As it stands, NOD32 and co. are far better alternatives than anything Microsoft has offered to date (the AntiSpyware tool, barring an initial run, is useless).

 

[Dilbert]

I think it's more the audacity of Microsoft to charge consumers for protection from security holes that shouldn't have been there in the first place, at least as far as the spy-ware is concerned. It's almost like paying Gates protection money.

That's what I was wondering. How is this not an organizational conflict of interest?