Microsoft reiterates rationale for free Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft has stepped forward in defense of its newly released Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), which has come under criticism from various security vendors. Of course, the fact that security software vendors are unhappy is not surprising, given that MSE is free. The vice president of engineering for Norton products, Jens Meggers was quoted to have said "It's just stripped down OneCare."

Microsoft declined to issue a rebuttal of Megger's claims, but instead pointed out the use of a defense in depth strategy, which involves the use of antivirus and firewall software, as well as regular software updates by means of Microsoft Update.

As to the rationale of offering MSE at no cost, Microsoft explained that "we still see far too many consumers worldwide that do not have up-to-date protection either because they cannot afford it, are concerned about the impact the suites will have on the performance of their PCs, or because they simply do not realize their AV software is not up to date."

What anti-malware protection do you employ in your organization? Would you consider switching to Microsoft Security Essentials instead?

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Network World

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