Microsoft is preparing to release a free anti-virus program in an effort to undercut the dominant low-cost companies Symantec and McAfee.
A spokesman for the company said last week that it is testing an early version of the product with its own employees and that a trial version for the public will be available on Microsoft’s website “soon”, but no specific date has been made.
The announcement is an attempt to rival products from Symantec and McAfee, with both companies generating billions from anti-virus products protecting computers running on Windows.
Microsoft has said that the software will offer fairly basic features for anti-virus protection, and will effectively replace the Live OneCare virus protection service that has been deemed a commercial failure by analysts.
Both Symantec and McAfee have said they do not see the upcoming software as a threat to its business.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COMMENTS
SmartCompany is committed to hosting lively discussions. Help us keep the conversation useful, interesting and welcoming. We aim to publish comments quickly in the interest of promoting robust conversation, but we’re a small team and we deploy filters to protect against legal risk. Occasionally your comment may be held up while it is being reviewed, but we’re working as fast as we can to keep the conversation rolling.
The SmartCompany comment section is members-only content. Please subscribe to leave a comment.
The SmartCompany comment section is members-only content. Please login to leave a comment.