Microsoft Integrates Security and Management
By CXOtoday Staff
Mumbai, May 8, 2007

Microsoft released Forefront Client Security and System Center Essentials 2007.

Forefront Client Security is designed to help protect business desktops, laptops and server operating systems from viruses, spyware, Trojans and other current and emerging threats. It delivers visibility into threats and vulnerabilities through central management, and integrates with System Center solutions, Active Directory services and other Microsoft technologies.

In a key note address last week, Bob Muglia, senior vice president at Microsoft, announced that Forefront Client Security had already achieved West Coast Labs Checkmark certification, a global standard that certifies information security products to real-world standards.

System Center Essentials 2007 is a unified management solution to help IT professionals in midsize organizations manage their IT environment. The solution features a single console, from which IT management can view and manage servers, clients, hardware, software and IT services.

Muglia showed how deeper integration between Forefront and System Center offerings would help customers address and enable key scenarios, including identity and access, change and configuration management, service management, problem resolution and reporting. He used the context of the Microsoft's Infrastructure Optimization (IO) model, which charts a course for companies to transform IT infrastructure into a strategic business asset, to show how deeper integration between security and management solutions will benefit businesses of all sizes.

For enterprise customers, Muglia discussed how security and management solutions will be unified through a common service management solution, enabling workflow definition, process automation, and comprehensive reporting across security and management teams. For midmarket and smaller customers with IT professionals, performing both security and management functions, he described how deeper integration between security and systems management solutions would provide a standard, integrated set of tools.

"Security and IT operation professionals are demanding more effective integration of solutions in both domains, and the benefits of improved risk management and efficiencies that integration brings. Microsoft's plans to more closely align its System Center management solutions with its Forefront security products. This offers an integrated approach, which makes it easier for customers to secure and manage their infrastructure, and gives them greater control over their IT environment," opined Scott Crawford, senior analyst at Enterprise Management Associates.

Forefront Client Security is licensed on a per-user, per-device basis, starting at $12.72 per user or device, per year for the security agent and at $2,468 per year for the management console. The product is available for purchase today as part of the Microsoft Enterprise Client Access License suite via Microsoft Volume Licensing, with stand-alone product availability in July via standard Microsoft volume licensing channels.

Microsoft System Center Essentials is offered as a management server with built-in support to manage 50 clients and 10 servers starting at $2,000. Customers can add up to 500 clients in increments of 20 or 5 Management Licenses (MLs), priced at $400 and $100 respectively, and up to 30 servers in increments of five and one ML, priced at $500 and $100 respectively. The product will be available in July via standard Microsoft volume licensing and retail channels.