14 DAY TRIAL // After issuing comments in October that the two security solutions providers should have simply prepared better for 64-bit Windows Vista instead of generating complaints, noise and confusion in regard to the Kernel Patch Protection, Richard Jacobs, Sophos' Chief Technical Officer jumps at Symantec and McAfee's jugular and argues that the two companies have built their security solutions on shortcuts.
In addition of accusing Symantec and McAfee of "looking out for shortcuts in building up their security suites," Jacobs has added that the duo are concerned about their market positions. "I believe that it depends on what those vendors have been doing and how the positioned themselves. I think that if they see themselves as the de facto for all security software then they've got a problem because there is a new competitor on the block. Microsoft aren't going to come in and do this better than everybody else. And I think that's one of the reasons why companies like Symantec and McAfee are responding so negatively to Microsoft and a lot of what they are talking about on some of the technical side I actually don't think is valid, I think their real concerns are the threat to their consumer environment," Jacobs explained.
Jacobs' vision in relation to looking for shortcuts for building security solutions is equivalent to acquiring technologies to address the problems and bring their products to the market earlier.
"Sophos has built its products organically and has focused on developing an integrated solution to the overall problem. A lot of other vendors out there have looked for quick wins by quiring different technologies and packaging those up into some sort of suite. Now that gives them a great story it gives them some sort of offering but it gives them a fragmented solution. And what they end up with is a number of separate product components, which don't have any ability to interact which each other, and effectively what they are doing is categorizing the threats. That categorization doesn't exist, It's not real. The hackers don't work that way. They will use whatever techniques are needed to get through," concluded Jacobs.