Microsoft Announces Beta Antivirus and Antispyware Solutions by IDC

Description

This IDC Flash analyzes Microsoft Corp.'s announcement that it will offer all Microsoft users a free beta version of antivirus and antispyware software. This news comes as no surprise to IDC. This document is an update to one published in July 2003 after Microsoft's acquisition of the Romanian antivirus vendor GeCAD. In that document, IDC predicted that Microsoft would initially position the GeCAD software as a complement to existing antivirus software to help address the vulnerability issues of Microsoft's installed base of Windows clients. IDC believes today's announcement is the first step toward Microsoft's eventually offering a full-blown antivirus and antispyware solution that will compete with the likes of Symantec, McAfee, Computer Associates, Trend Micro, and Sophos, among others. We believe the market for standalone antivirus and antispyware solutions will rapidly consolidate as customers increasingly demand a single comprehensive solution that addresses viruses, spyware, trojans, worms, and other types of malicious code. We fully expect a more comprehensive, integrated solution from Microsoft in early 2006.