Microsoft to drop OneCare and launch free security software

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 19 November 2008 06:01

Your IT - Home IT

Microsoft is preparing to phase out Windows Live OneCare in favour of a new, free-of-charge consumer security product.

Security software - whether the relatively basic antivirus products of a decade ago or today's more sophisticated suites - has become a fact of life for many PC users.

Code-named 'Morro' the new Microsoft product will focus on protection from malware, including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans. It will not include utility function such as the 'tune up' capability of Windows Live OneCare.

But that doesn't mean it will be a stripped down version of Windows Live OneCare. According to Amy Barzdukas, Microsoft's senior director of product management, Morro will be a new product with a smaller footprint and using fewer resources, making it suitable for use on less powerful machines and where limited network bandwidth is available.

A common complaint about recent security packages is the load they place on the computer. It is not unknown for owners of older computers to complain that there isn't enough grunt left to run real applications once some security suites are loaded.

To be offered as a download for XP, Vista and Windows 7, Morro is slated to arrive some time in the second half of 2009.

The rationale for providing a free security product is that even in developed markets around 60 percent of consumers don't have up to date security software on their PCs, and the proportion is even higher in developing markets.

What about Forefront, and security products from other vendors? Please read on.