Microsoft Monopoly on Security Market

Symantec and McAfee are the main targets of a new and otherwise non-discriminating monopolist market strategy from Microsoft. The software giant makes a series of consecutive moves meant to drive its former partners off the security market that they now dominate. With Symantec and McAfee out of the way Microsoft will be the sole player in a competitive environment were it will be able to buy or force into bankruptcy with artificially low prices all its rivals.

This seems to be a silent price tag battle that has turned Microsoft into a formidable adversary for Symantec and McAfee by what is known as "predatory pricing". This concept is equivalent to a market strategy that will have a company selling its products at a loss, the artificially low prices lowering in their turn the prices of the competition until they crash simultaneously closing the market for new competitors.

In this regard, OneCare is sold at $49.95 for three PCs, an average of $16.65 for just one, this although it is available on Amazon for just $6.65 per machine. In comparison with Microsoft's security bundle, Symantec and McAfee offer products for $89.99 and $69.99 for three computers. Because it has rethought the way of pricing the products charging monthly fees per seat rather than offering a perpetual license fee, Microsoft can sell its products at 50% less than Symantec and at 30% less than McAfee.

Furthermore, the prices for Antigen are even with 60% smaller than similar offers from direct competitors, this when Antigen includes five antivirus engines and not only one.