Microsoft Releases Beta of Integrated Security System Forefront ‘Stirling’
Posted on April 8, 2008
Filed Under Security
SAN FRANCISCO, April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Today at RSA
Conference 2008, Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of the public
beta release of its next-generation Microsoft Forefront security solution,
currently code-named “Stirling.” Microsoft Forefront “Stirling” is an
integrated security system that is designed to deliver comprehensive,
coordinated protection, making it easy to control, access and manage
security capabilities across an organization’s IT infrastructure.
Customers can begin evaluating Forefront “Stirling” today by
downloading it from http://www.microsoft.com/stirling or by getting a copy
at Microsoft’s booth at RSA Conference 2008. Forefront “Stirling” is
scheduled for release to market in the first half of 2009.
Forefront “Stirling” includes a central management console for security
configuration and enterprisewide visibility, combined with the
next-generation Forefront products that span the client, server and network
edge. They include Forefront Client Security, Forefront Security for
Exchange Server, Forefront Security for SharePoint and the next generation
of Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA Server),
Forefront Threat Management Gateway.
“Customers tell us that IT security is becoming increasingly complex,
with multiple point solutions and management consoles creating both a
financial and management headache for businesses today,” said Ryan Hamlin,
general manager in the Access and Security Division of the Server and Tools
Business at Microsoft. “Microsoft is focused on reducing that burden for
customers. By taking an integrated solutions approach that combines IT
security, identity and access with systems management capabilities at the
foundational level, and by delivering innovative products like Forefront
‘Stirling,’ we are providing dynamic protection and response capabilities
that help customers secure their business while also saving time and
reducing costs.”
“Our research shows IT departments are demanding integration between
individual security technologies,” said Chris Christiansen, program vice
president for Security Products and Services, IDC. “Products like Forefront
‘Stirling’ will play a key role in reducing administrative and support
costs and, ultimately, reducing the total cost of ownership of managing
multiple security technologies.”
A central element of Microsoft’s infrastructure integration approach is
Dynamic Response, an innovative Microsoft technology built into each
component of Forefront “Stirling” that allows the entire system to share
and use security information to automatically respond to and resolve
threats across multiple layers of the IT infrastructure. With such threats
continuing to increase in frequency, Dynamic Response is designed to help
businesses proactively protect their IT environment and respond more
quickly. In fact, Microsoft’s June 2007 Security Intelligence Report found
that the latest malware families were spawning tens of thousands of
variants each year.
“Enterprise customers today are looking for a more comprehensive,
better integrated and easier-to-manage security solution,” said Chris
Lavelle, vice president for Idea Integration Corp., a Microsoft Gold
Certified Partner systems integrator and a Forefront “Stirling” beta
program participant. “Forefront ‘Stirling’ integrates security technologies
as part of a centralized approach to desktop, server and network
management, enabling customers to take advantage of information gathered at
any point in the network to help better protect and manage the environment
as a whole. The benefit to customers is not just centralized visibility and
control, but also information that can be used to guide policy.”
Microsoft also today announced the name of its next-generation network
edge security product, Forefront Threat Management Gateway. Forefront
Threat Management Gateway is the future version of Microsoft ISA Server and
will extend the capabilities of ISA Server 2006 with new features and
security technologies, designed to help provide multiple-threat protection,
simplified management and secure connectivity, and will be built on Windows
Server 2008. More details about Forefront Threat Management Gateway will be
available later this year.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp. via PRNewswire
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