Industry Leaders Collaborate to Deliver Secure Solutions to Windows 2000
Customers
SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at the RSA Conference 2000
in San Jose, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced that it has joined Cisco
Systems Inc.'s (Nasdaq: CSCO) Security Associate Program, demonstrating
commitment for interoperability of the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 2000
Professional and Server operating systems with Cisco Secure network security
solutions.
Customers benefit from the security innovations that Microsoft has built
into Windows 2000, including native Kerberos implementation, an encrypting
file system, an easy-to-manage public key infrastructure (PKI), extensible
authentication device support, encrypted end-to-end communications and secure
virtual private networking (VPN). Joining the Cisco Security Associate Program
is a natural extension of Microsoft's commitment to security, which is
embodied in the features of its highly anticipated operating system. The
objective of the Cisco Security Associate Program is to ease deployment for
customers of third-party security products by fully testing and verifying them
for complete interoperation with Cisco Secure offerings.
"We designed Windows 2000 with security as a key development goal, and we
believe that it will be the most secure operating system that Microsoft has
ever shipped," said Brian Valentine, senior vice president of the Windows
Division at Microsoft. "Our collaboration with security leaders, such as
Cisco, enabled us to build a product that will meet, and exceed, our
customers' network security needs. Our mutual customers benefit from the
experience and innovation that Cisco has brought to Windows 2000 and from our
involvement in the Cisco Security Associate Program."
"Microsoft and Cisco are working with the industry to change the way
security is done in the enterprise, and Windows 2000 extends those efforts by
providing more security features for network environments," said
Elizabeth Kaufman, senior director of the Security Internet Services Unit at
Cisco. "We are pleased to welcome Microsoft into the Cisco Security Associate
Program and will continue to collaborate to meet our customers' network
security needs."
Microsoft and Cisco have historically partnered to advance network
security, jointly developing the IP Security Protocol (IPSec) implementation
for Windows 2000 and Cisco IOS(R) Software, to ensure full standards-based
interoperability. In addition, Microsoft and Cisco have worked closely to
integrate support for the Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) into
Microsoft's Certificate Server, making it interoperable with all of Cisco's
certificate-enabled security solutions. Using SCEP, organizations can take
advantage of advanced certificate services optionally available in the Windows
2000 Resource Kit to enroll routers using Cisco IOS Software.
About Windows 2000
Windows 2000 will enable the next generation of PC computing by providing
customers with the easy way to Internet-enable their business using the
integrated Web application services, increased scalability and
industry-standard security. Windows 2000 will provide a more reliable platform
designed for increased system uptime and a more manageable operating system to
lower desktop management costs, and will offer more centralized management for
servers. In addition, Windows 2000 will enable knowledge workers to take
advantage of new devices.
Availability
General availability of Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server and
Windows 2000 Advanced Server is scheduled to begin Feb. 17, 2000. Windows 2000
Datacenter Server is expected to be available later this year.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software for
personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products
and services designed to empower people through great software
-- any time, any place and on any device
NOTE: Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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