Company Announces New Alliances and Product Initiatives to Help Evolve
Networks, Protection and Identity and Achieve Anywhere Access
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Top executives from
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) today outlined a vision for secure and easy
"anywhere access" and committed to working with the industry to evolve
networks, protection and identity to achieve that vision for customers. In
their keynote address at the RSA Conference 2007, Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates and Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie discussed how
the industry can further advance efforts around trustworthy computing to
enable people to access, share and use corporate and personal information
without fear that it will be compromised, stolen or exploited. Although
anywhere access is not a new term, Gates and Mundie expanded the definition
to encompass a broad range of scenarios and technologies across networking,
platforms and applications.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO )
Also at RSA, Microsoft announced a series of product news, initiatives
and industry alliances to help customers achieve anywhere access, including
the upcoming availability of Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007, the public
beta of Microsoft(R) Forefront(TM) Server Security Management Console,
support for Extended Validation SSL certificates in Internet Explorer(R) 7,
and new collaboration with industry partners to help combat phishing.
"Security is the fundamental challenge that will determine whether we
can successfully create a new generation of connected experiences that
enable people to have anywhere access to communications, content and
information," Gates said. "The answer for the industry lies in our ability
to design systems and processes that give people and organizations a high
degree of confidence that the technology they use will protect their
identity, their privacy and their information."
"To create the level of seamless, pervasive connectivity that will make
secure anywhere access a reality, continued collaboration and cooperation
across this industry is essential," Mundie added. "If we can work together
to enhance trust, it will open the door to a transformation in the way
people share experiences, explore ideas and create opportunities."
Gates and Mundie said that to further advance trust and enable anywhere
access, there are three key technological areas for industry focus and
momentum:
*Evolution of networks. As businesses and the industry move forward on
redefining network boundaries, policy will become the driving force for
managing access -- not the physical topology of the network. The goal is
for the network and the Internet to appear and work as if the boundaries
between them are seamless, so access for users is easier and faster.
*Evolution of protection. To achieve this anywhere access vision,
customers need comprehensive security products and services that
integrate seamlessly with each other and existing infrastructure and that
are easy to use and manage. There is a necessity for the industry to
enable greater protection, not only when information is in transit but
also when it is created and where it resides, whether on the server, the
desktop or a mobile device.
*Evolution of identity. Today, individuals and businesses struggle with an
increasing number of digital identities to manage and the increased level
of complexity and risk that goes with them. The industry's collaborative
efforts around the development of an identity metasystem are the right
direction, and customers need this system to be based on standard
protocols that address heterogeneous infrastructures in order to reduce
the complexity of managing identities across networks and the Web.
Industry Alliances
Gates and Mundie reinforced Microsoft's commitment to interoperability
and its ongoing work with governments, organizations and partners to create
and implement industrywide standards that enable systems and applications
to work together. The company is continuing to work with the industry on
the WS-* Web standard and with the Interop Vendor Alliance, a global,
cross-industry group of software and hardware vendors launched in November
2006, to identify opportunities for enhancing interoperability with
Microsoft systems on behalf of their customers. In the coming year, the
Interop Vendor Alliance will work closely with the SecureIT Alliance,
announced at last year's RSA Conference, to expand education and outreach
on cross-platform security offerings to benefit customers and partners
integrating these solutions. Since its formation, SecureIT Alliance
membership has grown from 30 founding ISV developers to over 100 member
firms. Microsoft's efforts with its more than 100 partners in the Network
Access Protection (NAP) program are also focused on interoperability across
platforms, devices and networks.
More information about Microsoft's vision for enabling anywhere access
based on trust and about recent product and partner initiatives can be
found in Microsoft's RSA virtual pressroom at
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/rsa/default.mspx .
Addendum: Microsoft Product and Industry Partnership Announcements
To further enable the vision of secure and easy anywhere access,
Microsoft today announced the following product milestones and industry
alliances:
*Microsoft announced Identity Lifecycle Manager (ILM) 2007. Available to
customers in May, ILM 2007 is a new solution that builds on Microsoft's
metadirectory and user provisioning capabilities by adding support for
managing strong credentials such as certificates and smart cards. ILM
provides an integrated and comprehensive solution for managing the entire
life cycle of a user identity. Microsoft also unveiled a comprehensive
strategy and road map for identity life-cycle management, including
planned availability of ILM "2," the next version of ILM, in late 2008.
*On the heels of the Windows(R) CardSpace(TM) general availability launch
in Windows Vista(TM), Microsoft demonstrated momentum with industry
partners that are working to apply this technology to help consumers
realize a more confident online experience. This includes the
announcement of collaboration on use of Windows CardSpace with the OpenID
2.0 specification. Through the support of the WS-Trust-based Windows
CardSpace experience, consumers can take advantage of increased security
against phishing attacks without adding complexity to their identity
management experience. Also at the conference, Wachovia Corp., Arcot
Systems Inc. and Corillian Corp. showcased a proof of concept
demonstration using Windows CardSpace to deliver a simpler and safer
online banking experience for customers.
*Microsoft launched the public beta of the new Forefront Server Security
Management Console, a centralized, Web-based management solution for
onsite or remote administration of Microsoft messaging and collaboration
security solutions. The management solution is the latest in a series of
product launches from Microsoft Forefront, a line of business security
products designed to help organizations protect their deployed
infrastructure from the latest threats and provide more secure access.
*Microsoft announced that it has enabled support for Extended Validation
(EV) SSL Certificates in Internet Explorer 7, which is the first browser
to fully support EV SSL Certificates. When a user visits a site with a
valid EV Certificate, Internet Explorer 7 will alert the user to the
available identity information by turning the background of the address
bar green and displaying identity information. Twelve certificate
authorities, including VeriSign Inc., Cybertrust and Entrust, are already
issuing EV SSL Certificates.
*Microsoft has added four new data providers to the Microsoft Phishing
Filter service: the Australian Computer Emergency Response Team
(AusCERT), BrandProtect, MySpace.com and Netcraft Ltd., whose own broad
set of Internet Explorer and Firefox toolbar anti-phishing data sources
will be included as data feeds into the service. These new providers join
Microsoft's current anti-phishing data providers, which include
Cyveillance, Digital Resolve, Internet Identity, MarkMonitor Inc., and
RSA Security, the security division of EMC Corp.
Other recent Microsoft security announcements include the following:
*The general availability of Windows Vista on Jan. 30. In addition to
fundamental improvements in the underlying security of the operating
system, Windows Vista contains numerous security features and
architectural advancements, including User Account Control, Internet
Explorer Protected Mode, Windows Service Hardening, Address Space Layout
Randomization and Kernel Patch Protection.
*Windows Live OneCare, also launched internationally on Jan. 30, delivers
all-in-one PC care with powerful protection and simple PC maintenance for
consumers. Windows Live(TM) OneCare(TM) is the next generation of
Microsoft's evolving PC care service and is available at
http://onecare.live.com and retail centers in the U.S. and 16 countries
worldwide.
*As part of its secure access strategy, Microsoft recently announced the
general availability of the Intelligent Application Gateway (IAG) 2007.
Microsoft's IAG 2007 combines the secure sockets layer virtual private
network (SSL VPN) product obtained in the acquisition of Whale
Communications in July 2006 with Microsoft Internet Security and
Acceleration Server (ISA Server), in a single, consolidated appliance for
policy-based secure remote access, endpoint security and
application-layer protection.
*On Feb. 1, Microsoft announced that more than 100 networking and security
partners have pledged support and integration with Microsoft NAP, a
policy enforcement platform built into Windows Vista and Windows
Server(R) "Longhorn." Over 40 of these working NAP solutions are being
demonstrated at the RSA Conference.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software,
services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full
potential.
NOTE: Microsoft, Forefront, Internet Explorer, Windows, CardSpace,
Windows Vista, Windows Live, OneCare and Windows Server 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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