Since its introduction in 2006, Microsoft's Windows Live OneCare has altered the antivirus landscape. With Tuesday's announcement that Microsoft will no longer be selling the product in retail outlets but offering a new free version, code-named Morro, starting in the second half of 2009, it's sure to change the field once again.
Since Microsoft bought Romania-based antivirus firm GeCad five years ago, there has been fear among the commercial antivirus vendors that the software giant would simply bundle its malware protection within the next version of Windows. While that didn't happen--and it's unlikely to happen--Microsoft's addition to the market has forced its competitors to make some changes even though Microsoft hasn't become the huge player once feared.
Even before the first beta in 2005, McAfee and Symantec were talking about plans to go head to head with the software giant. McAfee announced plans around Project Falcon, and Symantec launched Project Genesis.
Microsoft OneCare entered the market in May 2006 as a "desktop IT department" and inspired a new breed of "omni security suites" that went beyond the traditional Internet security suite. I wasn't impressed. Although OneCare offers the revamped GeCad antivirus engine, Microsoft Windows Defender antispyware protection, and the Windows Firewall, along with system diagnostic tools, backup capabilities, and a way to monitor home networking, I think that the interface is clunky and that the tools aren't necessarily top of the line. And, I'm on record as calling OneCare SopranoCare since it seems wrong to me to have to pay the company that broke your operating system to fix it.
But at its introduction, Microsoft did shake up the antivirus landscape. OneCare was priced at an absurdly low $49.95, and it protected up to three PCs. At the time, Symantec's Norton Internet Security and McAfee's Internet Security were both priced at over $100 for their three-user packages. Today, three-user packages well under $100 are common.
Symantec responded in 2007 with its Project Genesis-produced Norton 360, a unified product that took Norton Internet Security and added online backup. But Symantec didn't just add to its existing product, it reinvented the product, producing a new one with a fully integrated interface marketed for the average home user. And at around $70, it could be used on up to three PCs.
McAfee also responded with its Project Falcon-produced McAfee Total Protection, also priced around $70 for up to three PCs. It too offers home network monitoring and premium or enhanced versions of the McAfee Internet Suite.
But McAfee and Symantec both had something Microsoft did not: effectiveness.
Almost two years ago, independent antivirus-testing organizations faulted OneCare for missing known malware. Andreas Clementi of AV-Comparatives.org wrote in his February 2007 report (PDF) that OneCare did not meet the minimum requirements for participation. "Due (to) that, its inclusion in future tests of this year (will) have to be re-evaluated."
Microsoft began hiring longtime antivirus experts from competitors, and it appears to have paid off. A few years ago, Vincent Gullotto came over from McAfee to head Microsoft's Security Research and Response team. Microsoft has since added experts from F-Secure, Sophos, and elsewhere to the team. And it shows. In the latest On Demand scanning test from AV-Comparatives.org, Microsoft OneCare 2.5 scored as well as McAfee VirusScan Plus 2008.
All is not perfect, however. In May, Microsoft mistook Skype for a piece of malware. And the Windows Firewall, while Microsoft insists otherwise, is not a truly two-way firewall; there are a great many outbound exceptions within the Microsoft version. A Microsoft representative said "If we turned on outbound filtering by default for consumers, it forces the user to make a trust decision for every application they run which touches the network." Given that other firewalls have outbound filtering, I still don't see why Microsoft can't.
The free version of Morro won't have all the current bells and whistles of OneCare; Microsoft says the diagnostic tools won't be included. Although the final feature set won't be known for a while, just having a free antivirus/antispyware/personal firewall product from Microsoft is bound to shake things up.
With traditional antivirus protection perhaps becoming obsolete, maybe it's time that Symantec and McAfee start offering free versions of their own antivirus products--something that I've said for years.
Updated at 6:15 p.m. PST with Microsoft and McAfee comment, at 5:30 p.m. with Sophos comment, and at 4:40 p.m. with customer comment.
Windows Live OneCare logo
(Credit: Microsoft)Microsoft on Tuesday said it is changing its strategy for offering PC antivirus software, with plans to discontinue its subscription-based consumer security suite and instead offer individuals free software to protect their PCs.
Code-named Morro, the new offering will be available in the second half of 2009 and will protect against viruses, spyware, rootkits, and Trojans, the company said in a statement.
With the arrival of Morro, Microsoft plans to stop selling the Windows Live OneCare service, although the two services are not identical. Morro lacks OneCare's non-security features, such as printer sharing and automated PC tuneup. Morro will, however, use fewer resources than the subscription-based offering, making it better suited to low-bandwith systems and less powerful PCs.
Microsoft decided to switch to a free product because there are still so many PCs out there that lack any antivirus software.
"Because they're not concerned about malware, the number of people who don't have antivirus software or don't keep it up to date exceeds 50 percent in developed markets, and it's worse in emerging markets," Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft, said in an interview. "Live OneCare was tailored for developed markets with broadband...and it's not meeting the needs of a lot of customers."
Asked why the company wouldn't just offer both the free and subscription versions, Barzdukas said: "Having core anti-malware at no charge for consumers, we believe, we will protect more consumers that way." Consumers who want more than the features Morro will offer have "fine alternatives from third parties" to buy, she added.
Despite the fact that McAfee stands to lose paying customers to Microsoft's new free software, McAfee spokesman Joris Evers said the news signaled a defeat for Microsoft.
"Consumers have voted; OneCare, in its two years on the market, has achieved less than 2 percent market share," he said in an interview. "Microsoft is giving up and has defaulted to a dressed-down freeware model that does not meet consumer security needs. This is good news for McAfee."
Barzdukas dismissed the notion that Microsoft was responding to market share or competitive pressures. "If the current approach isn't working... (as far as protecting consumers broadly) we need to go with a new approach," she said.
Asked if Microsoft would ever consider bundling the security features into Windows, Barzdukas said: "I can't foresee such a time."
Representatives from Symantec could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said the news doesn't impact his security firm because it focuses on the enterprise market.
"I think this announcement may cause some sleepless nights for the chiefs at McAfee and Symantec--they've always done well out of the consumer anti-virus market, and with tougher financial times ahead of them (they) won't be pleased to see the possibility of that evaporating further," he wrote in an e-mail response to questions.
Microsoft had been selling Windows Live OneCare for $49.95 per year, which covered up to three PCs and offered centralized backup and optimization features in addition to security capabilities.
Windows Live OneCare will continue to be sold for Windows XP and Vista via retailers through June 30, 2009, and direct sales will be gradually phased out as Morro becomes available. "Microsoft will ensure that all current customers remain protected through the life of their subscriptions," the statement said.
Morro, which will be available for download over the Internet, will work on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and the upcoming Windows 7.
The news frustrated OneCare customer Cas Purdy who complained on Facebook: "I just paid for OneCare. I'm kind of bitter."
Purdy, who heads up public relations at security firm Websense, said in a follow-up phone interview that he paid for his OneCare subscription a few weeks ago for his home laptop. Websense does not compete with Microsoft on consumer software.
"I'm all for a free tool but given that I just paid for it...we'll see," he added.
Microsoft's Barzdukas said customers should contact customer support if they have a concern. "We will absolutely do the right thing by our customers, and if the customer wants to call our free phone support line we'll make sure they are happy," she said.
A posting on the Windows Live OneCare Team Blog has a detailed FAQ for customers.
Microsoft started selling OneCare in May 2006, three years after signaling its intent to enter the security software market with its purchase of Romania's GeCad.
Although OneCare received only mixed reviews, it significantly shook up the security software market, resulting in generally lower prices.
The software maker has also started selling its Forefront line of security software for businesses and indicated at its Microsoft Online launch on Monday that it plans to expand its lineup of hosted security services.
CNET News' Ina Fried contributed to this report.
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