Morro is a code-name for an upcoming freeware Antivirus software, created by Microsoft. It is expected to be released in the second half of 2009, and will provide protection from viruses, spyware, rootkits, and trojans.
Its announcement, made on Tuesday November 18th, marked a change in PC security strategy from Microsoft. OneCare, the all-in-one service that microsoft launched in May 2006 only managed to take 2% of the already clustered PC security market and failed multiple virus tests. OneCare will be discontinued in June 2009. Morro will be a free, no-frills program suited for smaller and less powerful computers, perhaps aimed at the emerging "netbook" market.
Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management in the online services division at Microsoft, said: "This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware." .
全球軟體龍頭微軟公司十九日宣佈,明年六月一日起,將停止銷售Widows Live OneCare個人電腦安全和管理服務,並免費提供代號「Morro」的新防毒和安全軟體。這項消息可能對賽門鐵克(Symantec)、McAfee及趨勢科技等專業資訊安全廠商帶來新挑戰。
威脅賽門鐵克、McAfee、趨勢科技
二 ○○六年五月,微軟推出Windows Live OneCare軟體,集防毒、防火牆、反間諜、磁碟修復等為一體,一年收費約台幣一千六百七十元,最多可安裝到三台電腦上,不過,至今市佔率還不到二%。 Morro防毒軟體將鎖定核心防毒保護功能,針對病毒、間諜軟體、惡意軟體Rootkit和木馬程式等。微軟說,Morro軟體對那些購買低端筆電的客戶尤其具有吸引力。
競爭對手McAfee表示,此舉意味著微軟進軍安全市場失敗。
微軟已經發表兩年的Windows Live OneCare安全軟體,將自明年6月30日以後停售,這項年收費49.95美元的服務可支援3台電腦,但市佔率不到2%。微軟即將推出的免費軟體 Morro,適用於入門級和低速個人電腦,有助保護電腦免受間諜軟體、病毒等惡意軟體攻擊,將吸引從未購買或還未安裝過任何防毒軟體的電腦使用者。
In a surprise move, Microsoft has announced it will offer a free anti-virus and security solution from the second half of next year.
It will stop selling OneCare, its all-in-one security and PC management service, from the end of June 2009.
The new software, code-named Morro, will be a no-frills program suited to smaller and less powerful computers.
The software will be free to download and will support Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.
The move comes as sales of the OneCare subscription service are flagging - reportedly because the anti-virus marketplace is already flooded with big-name players such as Symantec and McAfee.
Since its launch in May 2006, OneCare has garnered less than 2% of the security software market share.
In a statement, Microsoft said that Morro would be designed specifically to be a small-footprint program that uses fewer system resources. This, it said, would be ideal for users with low-bandwidth connections or computers without much processing power.
That will be of particular interest to consumers buying comparatively low-powered "netbook" computers.
Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management in the online services division at Microsoft, said: "This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware."