Just more than a week right after telling beta testers the final version of Microsoft;s absolutely free Safety Essentials antimalware product could be launched soon, Microsoft is set to deliver the last bits towards the public.I;ve noticed a few unsourced reports in regards to the ultimate MSE (codenamed “Morro”) bits going live on September 29, which is tomorrow. But this tweet from Network World Editor John Fontana sealed it:
I;ve asked Microsoft for an official confirmation but haven;t heard back from anyone. (Muglia is about as official as it gets, though….)Update: Microsoft is now confirming MSE will ship on September 29. From a spokesperson: “I can confirm that Microsoft Security Essentials, the company;s highly anticipated no cost consumer protection offering,
Microsoft Office 2010 Pro Plus, will be launched to the public tomorrow,
Office Professional 2007, September 29th.” It will be available in 19 markets worldwide, according towards the company. The last build no. is 1611 and it is available here: MSE is the replacement for Windows Live OneCare and a superset of Windows Defender. Microsoft officials have said it will work on Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista and
Windows 7. Greater than 400,000 testers are believed to have downloaded the test edition of MSE.Microsoft is targeting MSE at customers who are unwilling and unable to pay for security software. Company officials have said they believed it was worth offering customers a no cost item to help thwart security breaches on unprotected Windows PCs that potentially could be used to infect other users; systems.On September 29,
Office 2007 Enterprise Key, Microsoft also is holding a Webcast where CEO Steve Ballmer is planning to detail how Microsoft customers can, with less,
Microsoft Office Pro Plus 2007, do a lot more. It;s part of the company;s “New Efficiency” enterprise-focused campaign and is slated to touch on a host of soon-to-be-shipping Microsoft products, including
Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2,
Office 2007, Exchange 2010, Forefront, System Center and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack.Microsoft is planning to provide in early 2010 a new edition of its Forefront client, its paid desktop security product, that competes with/complements MSE. The company is stepping up its message that
Windows 7 will offer more than just consumer-focused features (which has been Microsoft marketing;s main focus to date).