14 DAY TRIAL // 11,000 people will be listening to Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates as he will share his perspective on computer security and provide an update on the company's efforts to make computing more "trustworthy." This will take place at the RSA Conference, sponsored by RSA Security Inc., based in Bedford, Mass.
In the three years since Microsoft launched its initiative to improve the security of its products, the company has changed how its software is written, improved the mechanism for fixing bugs and released some tools for removing computer malware.
Microsoft AntiSpyware is another program that the software giant recently released in an attempt to removes unwanted programs and helps protect new ones from being installed.
Microsoft has so far kept key elements of its security-software plans under a lot of mistery. The company admits it will offer its own anti-spyware and anti-virus products, based on technology acquired during the past two years from security firms like GeCAD, Sybari Software and Giant Company software Inc.
But executives have remained quiet on such issues as pricing, packaging and timing.
But the scene illustrated the potential impact of the Redmond software giant's broader move into security is the implication in Get a Free E-Commerce Start-up Kit from Verisign Software.
Microsoft's entrance promises to change the competitive landscape for companies specializing in software to clean up and protect computers from viruses, spyware and other online threats.
It's the Microsoft chairman's second consecutive appearance at the event, which has grown in size and significance in recent years, reflecting the general proliferation of computer security problems. Companies in attendance include such Microsoft competitors as Sun Microsystems, IBM Corp. and Linux vendor Red Hat