Microsoft has announced a new security product and set up an alliance to link security partners.
The company confirmed that its consumer OneCare desktop security software will include its anti-spyware software, and unveiled Client Protection, desktop security with management functions, targeted at enterprises.
At the same time, it announced the SecureIT Alliance, a new exclusive partner program made up largely of companies it will now be competing against.
The new alliance looks more like a partner program than the ‘coalition’ it was billed as. Only Microsoft’s certified partners will be allowed in. There will be no separate fee, and members will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
How enthusiastic the initial members are seems to depend largely on how much Microsoft is now competing with them.
For those in the client security software space, the alliance is surely made more uneasy by the fact that it coincides with Microsoft finally stepping directly on their turf.
The company’s new Client Protection offering with combine antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall in one application that will integrate with Active Directory and software update tools and will be centrally manageable. The companies that stand to lose most from Microsoft’s entry into this space are the likes of Symantec, Computer Associates, McAfee and Trend Micro.
So-called ‘co-opetition’ where companies cooperate and compete, is far from unusual in the tech industry. What is unusual is having it formalized into a coalition led and gate-kept by a company that owns a negligible share of the market in question.
But not participating is not really an option for these firms. Participating means they may become privy to some of Microsoft’s platform roadmap plans before the public at large. It seems unlikely they will be obliged to return the favor.
However, what many members of the alliance will agree upon is that the alliance may become a useful forum to share information relating to common enemies – hackers, virus-writers, phishers and spammers.
