By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: June 6, 2006, 7:00 AM PDT
Microsoft plans on Tuesday to launch updated and renamed Antigen e-mail
security products, nearly a year after completing the takeover of their maker,
Sybari.
Meant for use by
organizations small and large, the Antigen products promise to cleanse
e-mail of spam and viruses. They work with Microsoft's Exchange
e-mail server software and are part of the company's strategy to become a player in the security software
arena. Last week, Microsoft introduced Windows Live OneCare,
a consumer security product.
"Microsoft
is committed to providing a comprehensive and integrated set of products to
enable a defense-in-depth strategy," said Steve Brown, director of product
management in the security, access and solutions division at Microsoft.
"Today's announcement is about us bringing those capabilities to the
Exchange environment."
Microsoft has
removed the Sybari label from the products. Starting July 1, Microsoft will
sell four scanning titles: Antigen for Exchange, Antigen for SMTP Gateways,
Antigen Spam Manager and the Antigen Messaging Security Suite. Also available
will be tools to manage those scanning programs: the Antigen Enterprise Manager
and Antigen Management Pack for Microsoft Operations Manager.
The e-mail
security software has been updated, representing a full-version upgrade, said
Joe Licari, director of product management for Antigen at Microsoft. The
previous release was version 8.0, a Sybari product. The new Microsoft-branded
one is tagged version 9.0.
Key new features
are signed antivirus updates,
central management features, and improved support for e-mail systems that run
on multiple servers in a cluster, Licari said. Also, Antigen now comes with
Microsoft's antivirus-checking engine, in addition to several other scanning
engines. The software uses multiple scan engines to comb through e-mail.
The updated
Antigen products have been developed using Microsoft's Security Development
Lifecycle process, which aims to vet code before products are pushed out. The
SDL is designed to prevent security flaws in products.
Two former Sybari products will get the ax
as a result of Microsoft's acquisition of the company. Sybari
Antigen for Lotus Domino and Sybari Advanced Spam Defense will no longer be
sold, Licari said. Current customers will be supported until the end of their
contracts, he said.
Licensing for the
Antigen products has not changed much, Brown said. They will be available on
July 1 through Microsoft volume licensing and its channel partners. This
includes Antigen for SharePoint and Antigen for Instant Messaging, which will
remain Sybari-branded until the next versions are delivered in the first half
of 2007, Microsoft said.
A free
three-month trial will of the newly branded Antigen products be available for
the Antigen e-mail
security products.