McAfee Announces Windows XP Offerings

Web security services provider McAfee.com , today unveiled two new initiatives supporting Microsoft Corp.’s Windows XP operating system.

The first is the McAfee Security Center, a service that is integrated into XP’s Windows Messenger and delivers news and information from McAfee.com focused on helping customers to understand security issues and offering advice about how to protect themselves from various Internet threats.

“The combination of Windows XP and the McAfee Security Center will proactively assist customers in securing their computing environments,” says Chris Jones, vice president of the Windows Client Group at Microsoft.

The McAfee Security Center will have three security sub-categories including; ‘Current Threats,’ providing immediate information about current computer virus outbreaks; ‘Virus Information,’ offering more general information about computer viruses and how to prevent them and ‘Protect Yourself,’ which gives users the opportunity to scan their computers for free and provide a gateway to McAfee’s Web services.

Says Atri Chatterjee, vice president, marketing, McAfee.com: “The McAfee Security Center will be instrumental in helping users of Windows Messenger to protect their systems and thereby ensure a safe computing environment.”

McAfee will also be extending its relationship with Microsoft with the release of VirusScan Online for Windows XP, a redesigned Web-based security service, which offers managed protection from computer viruses, trojans and other malicious code.

VirusScan Online, which currently serves 1.2 million users around the world, will use the integrated .NET features provided in the new operating system including notification, Passport integration, XML and SOAP support.

According to Srivats Sampath, president and CEO, McAfee.com, it’s important that the firm take advantage of the new features of Windows XP to provide users with Web security services to helping their computing experience be a safe one.

Among the new features of VirusScan Online for Windows XP is Passport integration, which allows users automatic and secure login to McAfee.com, when logging into Passport through Windows XP.

McAfee says the integration of this service will simplify registration and help its customers get one step closer to achieving Internet-wide single-sign-on. It is argued this makes the updating process simpler and encourages the frequent updating necessary to help combat the spread of viruses.

The notification capabilities in Windows XP have also been incorporated so that subscribers can now be alerted to a virus outbreak by cell phone, pager, e-mail or by pop-ups on the Windows XP desktop.

Jones says Microsoft is pleased to have McAfee enhance the experience of Windows XP users: “The combination of Windows XP and McAfee.com will help strengthen Microsoft’s commitment to protect our customers from viruses, trojans and malicious code.”

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