WinInfo Daily UPDATE, December 3, 2003

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1. In the News
- Microsoft Reveals Internal Security Techniques
- Microsoft Announces MSN Premium - HP to Join Suddenly Crowded Online Music Market 2. Announcements
- New--Microsoft Security Road Show!
- Order Windows & .NET Magazine and the Article Archive CD at One Low Rate! 3. Event
- Receive a Free Identity Management White Paper! 4. Contact Us
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http://www.netsupport-inc.com/dna/netsupport_dna_overview.htm ==== 1. In the News ====
by Paul Thurrott, [email protected] Microsoft Reveals Internal Security Techniques
During a little-publicized security Webcast Monday, Microsoft revealed that attackers subject the company to 2500 to 3000 electronic attacks every day--or almost 100,000 a month. Despite the massive number of attacks, the last successful intrusion occurred more than 3 years ago during the infamous October 2000 security breach. But the software giant says the company's biggest security risk isn't external electronic attacks of its Web and external network properties; the biggest risk is Microsoft's huge fleet of mobile workers and partners--some 60,000 strong--who access the company's 175 remote Access Points (APs) on a regular basis.
"We've taken a deep look inside Microsoft to see how we can improve security at every level," Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Security Business Unit, said during the Webcast. "A lot of the technology we use [at] Microsoft applies directly to [customers'] work." Microsoft revealed some other interesting statistics during the Webcast. For example, the company uses Computer Associates' eTrust security-management suite to secure its networks and two-factor authentication (i.e., user name/password and smart card) to better secure its intellectual property.
To view this and other security Webcasts, visit the URL below. The aforementioned Webcast is titled "ShopTalk: IT Security Webcast" and first aired on December 1. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/webcasts/default.asp Microsoft Announces MSN Premium
Microsoft announced yesterday that MSN Premium, its next-generation broadband Internet service, will debut in early January. MSN Premium, which is based on the new MSN 9 code that will ship around the same time, will include several additional technologies over its dial-up brethren, including advanced spam filtering, antivirus tools, unique multimedia features, and a firewall. Microsoft is positioning MSN Premium against AOL 9.0 Optimized, a similar premium broadband-oriented service that market-leader AOL launched this fall.
Microsoft will bundle McAfee Security's VirusScan and Personal Firewall Plus with the subscription, along with basic versions of the Microsoft Money financial-management package, the Encarta encyclopedia, and the Picture It! photo-management and -editing application. The company will also give MSN Premium subscribers 11 email addresses, 25MB of storage space for email messages, and 10MB of storage space for email attachments (and 10MB and 3MB for secondary accounts, respectively). Thanks to the bundled MSN Connector for Outlook, subscribers will be able to access their email through Microsoft Outlook. MSN Connector for Outlook, which Microsoft first revealed this summer at its annual financial analysts meeting, entered beta testing 2 months ago and lets users more quickly access Hotmail and MSN email, calendar data, and task data through Outlook; users can also use the software to share calendars.
MSN Premium will cost $9.95 a month when added to existing broadband access or about $45 per month for the full ISP package, depending on your broadband provider. These prices compare favorably with AOL 9.0 Optimized, which costs about $5 more per month than MSN Premium, Microsoft says. In addition to the dial-up version of MSN 9 and MSN Premium, Microsoft is also testing a new MSN product called MSN Plus, which will also ship in early January. MSN Plus will operate in the middle ground between MSN 9 and MSN Premium and will cost about $5 a month, according to sources. MSN Plus doesn't include any of the value-added software Microsoft bundles with MSN Premium. HP to Join Suddenly Crowded Online Music Market
In a curious move, HP announced yesterday that it will soon join the suddenly crowded market for online music services. HP will apparently license software from Musicmatch, which has its own service that it already licenses to Dell, the leading PC maker. And in a move sure to raise the ire of Apple Computer fans, HP even announced that it will expand its growing selection of consumer-electronics devices to include a portable digital audio player similar to Apple's iPod. Unlike the iPod, however, HP will support Microsoft's popular Windows Media Audio (WMA) format; Apple's music service and portable player are the only such products that don't support WMA.
HP's plans seem to mirror those of other PC makers such as Dell and Gateway, which see consumer electronics as a huge growth market, especially during a time when PC sales have slowed. But the online music market is far more crowded than the PC market. In addition to established players such as market-leader Apple, BuyMusic.com, Napster, and RHAPSODY, HP will compete with Dell, Wal-Mart, Sony, Viacom/MTV, and probably a host of other companies by the time HP's service goes online in early 2004. ==== 2. Announcements ====
(from Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners) New--Microsoft Security Road Show!
Join industry guru Mark Minasi on this exciting 20-city tour and learn more about tips to secure your Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 network. There is no charge for this event, but space is limited, so register today! Sign up now for our December events.
http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/security2003dec Order Windows & .NET Magazine and the Article Archive CD at One Low Rate!
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