Microsoft Launches Forefront Security for SharePoint Beta

REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 28, 2006 — Microsoft Corp. today is launching the public beta of Forefront Security for SharePoint® (https://www.microsoft.com/forefront). This latestrelease of Microsoft® Forefront security products for businesses is based on Antigen for SharePoint Server, the multi-engine security solution acquired by Microsoft as part of the acquisition of Sybari Software Inc. in 2005.

Forefront Security for SharePoint is optimized to provide advanced protection for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows® SharePoint Services 3.0. Microsoft SharePoint products and technologies facilitate easy collaboration across an organization, connecting people, processes and systems within and beyond organizational boundaries. Forefront Security for SharePoint uses the combined power of multiple antivirus engines from leading security providers to protect against viruses, unwanted files and inappropriate content.

“As business customers use collaboration software to connect internal users, customers and partners in an increasing variety of ways, they want to maintain the highest level of protection for critical business information,” said Margaret Arakawa, senior director of Security and Access Product Marketing at Microsoft. “Forefront Security for SharePoint facilitates these new collaboration scenarios by providing a layer of advanced protection against the rapidly evolving threat landscape.”

Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint delivers the following:

·         Protection against the latest threats. Forefront Security for SharePoint simultaneously utilizes up to five antivirus engines from leading security vendors to provide customers with increased protection against malware threats, inappropriate content and dangerous files types. This latest release includes the new Microsoft Antivirus engine.

  • Integration to help optimize server performance.: Integration with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, as well as scanning innovations and performance controls, help ensure optimal collaboration server performance.
  • Simplified management control.: Forefront Security for SharePoint provides centralized management control to help ensure organizations can simply and cost-effectively deploy, manage and maintain the security of their collaboration servers.

Product Availability
The launch of Forefront Security for SharePoint will coincide with the general availability of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, which are scheduled to be available to businesses by the end of 2006 and generally available in early 2007. It will be available through Microsoft’s global channel of Security Solutions Competency partners. Companies can download the beta release at https://www.microsoft.com/forefront.