Microsoft Forefront Security Drops in May, 2007

Microsoft is getting ready to take the wraps off its business security products. During a visit in Europe, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer revealed that the final version of Forefront Client Security will be released in just a few weeks pointing to May 2007 as the official launch month. Forefront Client Security is a complete security solution designed to offer protection against a range of malicious code including viruses, spyware and rootkits.

"Our client product is shipping in the next month or so. It really does do hygiene, security, antivirus, all the way down to the client level. Companies face increasingly sophisticated security threats that are making the job of managing IT systems more complex all the time," said Steve Ballmer. "Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft System Center are designed to meet our customers' needs for comprehensive and integrated security technology that is easy to manage and that enables safer, more reliable access to business applications and information."

Forefront Client Security, Forefront Security for Exchange Server, Forefront Security for SharePoint, Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2006 and Intelligent Access Gateway: offers SSL VPN are some of the security solutions included under the Forefront brand umbrella.

With the Forefront security solutions, Microsoft is addressing the business environment, looking to offer protection at a desktop tier, but also at the server and network levels. According to the Redmond Company, the Forefront solutions are initially geared towards integration into the infrastructure provided by Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint. However, Microsoft aims to build a comprehensive security solution that would cover the client, the servers, and the network.

Ballmer added that Microsoft regards its first steps into delivering security for the corporate ecosystem as a major investment, and that the company is committed to continuing the evolution of the products.