http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/13/AR2005051300459.html By Robert MacMillan washingtonpost.com Staff Writer Friday, May 13, 2005 It's time to give Microsoft credit for doing the right thing, and I am not talking about the Xbox 360. I'll devote a few lines to the new game box/savior of the world, but first let's examine Windows OneCare, the automated repair service that will make computer security a reality for the average PC owner. It contains tools to fight spyware and viruses, a firewall to block sketchy data (incoming and outgoing) and patches security holes. Microsoft is testing the product among its employees now and expects to conduct a public test later this year. The company deserves praise for "un-befuddling" computer users who ignore what they don't understand, but the strategy contains two flaws: It costs extra and is incompatible with competing products. A Microsoft official quoted in the New York Times said OneCare is computer security for the "Jiffy Lube customer." I couldn't put it better myself. But even though computer security is like driving a car, the analogy breaks down (ha ha) when it comes to money. Most people feel that if they shell out thousands of dollars to buy a computer, the accompanying software and a steady Internet connection, the companies that make all the complicated technology work ought to take care of security on their end. That is also true. In an age of phishing, spyware, hackers, denial-of-service attacks and all manner of other digital troubles, Internet security is a requirement. What Microsoft should do is make the service automatic -- and free -- and allow techies and other people who feel they know enough about security to handle it themselves to opt out of receiving it. To be fair, we don't know how much OneCare will cost, but even if it's only an extra $5 or $10 each month, you can double your money by betting $10 that the cost will result in fewer takers. Cost-conscious customers see maintaining a computer and Internet connection as a steady flow of outbound nickels and dimes, and no amount of front-page news stories about hackers and identity theft will persuade all of them to pay yet more money for something that the head office should provide from the get-go. As for compatibility, OneCare will turn Microsoft from a customer of the anti-virus industry into a competitor. This isn't a business column, but it's worth noting that this culminates several years of speculation that the software firm would make just such a move. As for the computer user, this carries important implications. Here's a note from the Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Hamlin said OneCare won't work with competing security programs from the likes of Symantec and McAfee Inc., because Microsoft wants to be able to provide comprehensive support services. He stressed that Microsoft is aiming at users who don't now use security software and may not know they need it." This could prove to be a mistake. Plenty of news sources wrote that as many as 75 percent of computer users don't have updated protection for their computers, but in reality, those people probably don't have a clue what they have -- or don't have. When I use my mother's computer and update the security settings, I don't bother to tell her because she doesn't speak the language. "As long as it works," she would say. Hopefully the testing phase for OneCare will convince Microsoft to let the product play nice with competitors' programs. Competition, even on its own operating system, is something that Microsoft already knows can lead to unpleasant outcomes. [...] _________________________________________ InfoSec News v2.0 - Coming Soon! http://www.infosecnews.org
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