Server and Tools Business News Bytes blog : Forefront

Microsoft to acquire Sentillion

mdingle — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:38:00 GMT

Today Microsoft's Health Solutions Group announced the acquisition of Sentillion, a company based in Andover, MA which provides healthcare industry solutions for context management, user provisioning and single sign-on (SSO).

The primary goal of the acquisition is to make it easier for healthcare professionals to deliver better patient care by streamlining access to multiple IT applications and patient data. By combining Sentillion’s technologies with Microsoft Amalga UIS, Microsoft aims to give clinicians new insight about patients in real time and enable them to perform the appropriate task with unprecedented speed.

For more information about this announcement and how it aligns with Microsoft’s Business Ready Strategy check out the Forefront Team's blog post.

Forefront Products are Finalists in SC Magazine Readers Trust Awards

mdingle — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:27:00 GMT

Forefront Unified Access Gateway and Forefront Threat Management Gateway are both finalists in the 2010 SC Magazine Awards.

Click here to see all the finalists and when the winners will be announced.

Frugal Fridays Podcast: Microsoft Releases Threat Management Gateway (TMG)

mdingle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:44:00 GMT

Checkout this week's installment of the Frugal Friday's Tech Show podcast with Jason Perlow and Ken Hess featuring Bill Jensen, Senior Product Manager in the Identity & Security Business Group at Microsoft. Click here and learn about Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010.

More information on the release of Forefront TMG

mdingle — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:47:00 GMT

Yesterday Microsoft announced the general availability of Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) 2010. For more information about the release check out David Cross’, Product Unit Manager, overview on the Because it's everybody’s business blog and video on Microsoft TechNet.

Microsoft announces release of Forefront TMG and UAG 2010

grantkd — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Today Microsoft announced the releases of two new solutions: Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010 (TMG) and Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010 (UAG).

Forefront TMG and UAG 2010, the latest progress in Microsoft’s Business Ready Security strategy, address two growing endpoint security challenges: TMG helps companies provide safe employee web browsing, in part through use of the new cloud-based Microsoft Reputation Services technology. UAG enables organizations to give employees (and trusted partners and vendors) secure remote access to corporate resources.

Bill Jensen, senior product manager in the Identity and Security Business Group at Microsoft, explains more about TMG and UAG 2010 in this video.

Visit the Forefront team blog or follow Microsoft Forefront on Twitter for more information about today’s announcement.

Forefront Update

mdingle — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:01:00 GMT

Today Microsoft is announcing a schedule and strategy update for Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010, a component of the upcoming Forefront Protection Suite (previously codenamed “Stirling.”)

Microsoft is delaying the release of Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 - anti-malware for Windows desktops and servers - until the second half of 2010. Based on customer feedback and market trends, Microsoft has made the strategic decision to build Forefront Endpoint Protection (FEP) on System Center Configuration Manager, Microsoft’s solution to comprehensively assess, deploy, and update servers, clients, and devices. This approach better aligns with customers’ client management and security infrastructure, helping simplify deployment and reduce costs.

Please visit the Forefront Team Blog for more information about this announcement and the release timing of other Forefront products.

Microsoft Security Essentials Available Today

mdingle — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:55:00 GMT

Microsoft Security Essentials, the new no-cost, anti-malware service that helps protect consumers against viruses, spyware and other malicious software, is available today. It requires no registration, trials or renewals and will be available for download directly from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials.

For more information about this release check out the Forefront Team Blog.

Business Ready Security at WPC 2009

grantkd — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:52:00 GMT

This week in New Orleans, Microsoft is hosting the annual Worldwide Partner Conference where Microsoft made several identity and security announcements as part of their Business Ready Security strategy including the following:

o Forefront codename “Stirling” - the next generation of the Forefront Security Suite will be officially known as Forefront Protection Suite (FPS). FPS will include the products in the current suite, plus the Forefront Protection Manager (formerly known as the “Stirling” management console) and the Forefront Threat Management Gateway Web Security Service.

o FPS pricing will remain the same as the current Forefront Security Suite and all of the component solutions will continue to be licensed on a subscription basis. They will also be available independently, with Forefront Protection Manager included. (Note that the Forefront Threat Management Gateway license is sold separately on a per processor basis.) The new FPS solutions are currently in beta and final versions will ship over the course of the latter half of 2009 and the first half of 2010.

o Microsoft also announced that Forefront Unified Access Gateway beta 2 is available for download at www.microsoft.com/forefront. UAG provides secure, virtually anywhere access to messaging, collaboration and other applications, increasing productivity and policy compliance. UAG also extends the benefits of Windows DirectAccess across the enterprise, enhancing scalability, deployment and management.

At WPC Microsoft also announced the following new product solution names:

o Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 - current version is Forefront Client Security

o Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server - current version is Forefront Security for Exchange Server

o Forefront Protection 2010 for SharePoint - current version is Forefront Security for SharePoint

o Forefront Online Protection for Exchange - currently called Forefront Online Security for Exchange

o Forefront Threat Management Gateway Web Security Service - the next generation of ISA Server 2006.

For more information on this announcement please check out the WPC virtual press room or the Microsoft Forefront & Windows Server team blog.

Microsoft announces official name for “Geneva”

grantkd — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:43:00 GMT

Today, at the 2009 Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans, Microsoft announced the official name for Microsoft “Geneva” the upcoming open platform enabling simplified user access and single sign-on for cloud and on-premises applications:

Official name for “Geneva”

· Active Directory Federation Services – formerly known as “Geneva” Server

· Windows Identity Foundation – formerly known as “Geneva” Framework

· Windows Cardspace – same as current version

For more information on this announcement please check out the WPC virtual press room or the Microsoft Forefront & Windows Server team blog. For additional information on Microsoft “Geneva”

please check out the homepage.

Core Infrastructure at WPC 2009

grantkd — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:26:00 GMT

Today begins Microsoft’s annual Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans, and there’s a lot of buzz around what partners can look forward to in the coming year.

Bob Kelly, corporate vice president of Infrastructure Server Marketing, will be giving updates on some of the upcoming innovations and partner opportunities coming out of Core Infrastructure onsite as part of his keynotes July 13 and 14.

As part of sharing the news, Bob has also guest-authored a blog entry on the Windows Server team blog that gives more detail on some of the exciting highlights.

To keep on top of other Core Infrastructure news announcements throughout the event, please visit the following blogs:

o Windows Server team blog

o Virtualization team blog

o Forefront

o System Center

o Small Business Server

o Essential Business Server

o Windows Home Server

o MAP Toolkit

You can also follow Core Infrastructure via the STB News Bytes Twitter feed, or learn more at the WPC 2009 virtual pressroom and the Infrastructure PressPass site.

Microsoft Announces Business Ready Security for Enterprises

grantkd — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Today, the Identity and Security Business Group unveiled its Business Ready Security strategy and disclosed product and service updates, including the introduction of Forefront Online Security for Exchange, “Stirling” beta 2 availability and expansion of the Forefront brand. We are also announcing a broad group of companies supporting and extending the capabilities of Forefront “Stirling.”

As part of introducing Business Ready Security, Microsoft is highlighting customers who are betting on Microsoft’s security solutions. For instance, a company called Exostar is currently using Microsoft solutions to allow global aerospace companies to securely collaborate on complex, multi-enterprise projects. Exostar’s ForumPass solution uses Active Directory Federation Services and Forefront products to serve a growing community of 8500 users across 170 organizations. Exostar is a real world, here and now example of Business Ready Security.

Exostar PressPass

You can learn more about today’s news by visiting the Forefront Team Blog and the newly launched Infrastructure Press Pass site , which is showcasing additional videos, a new ESG whitepaper and a PressPass Q&A with Doug Leland, GM of the Identity and Security Business Group.

Schedule Update for Forefront “Stirling”

mdingle — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Today Microsoft announced an update on release timing for Forefront code name “Stirling,” an integrated security suite that combines the next-generation Forefront solutions for endpoint, messaging and collaboration, and network protection with a central management console for easy administration and enterprise-wide visibility.

Microsoft will begin the release of the “Stirling” security suite with the delivery of Forefront Server Security for Exchange and Threat Management Gateway (the next generation of ISA Server) in the fourth quarter of 2009.
The "Stirling” management console, Forefront Client Security 2.0 and Forefront Security for SharePoint will be released in the first half of 2010.
The company will ship a public beta 2 of “Stirling” and a release candidate prior to final release.

Previously, Microsoft communicated that “Stirling” was targeted for release in the first half of this year. They have been working closely with customers in the Technology Adoption Program to gather their feedback about how to deliver the best experience and value with “Stirling.” One of the top customer requests was adding interoperability with third party security solutions. To this end, Microsoft plans to increase its focus on one of the unique features of “Stirling”, Security Assessment Sharing (SAS.) SAS correlates security events from different Forefront products and third party solutions, enabling administrators to quickly investigate and remediate security events. We will provide information about interoperability partners in the near future.

In addition, Microsoft is investing significantly in a behavior-based technology called Dynamic Signature Service. This will complement the "Stirling" suite's advanced heuristics, dynamic translation and real time application scanning for kernel level malware with a sophisticated approach to on-demand threat mitigation, helping deliver more comprehensive endpoint protection for zero day attacks.

Customers investing in Forefront solutions today will have an easy migration path to “Stirling.”

RTM of Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server

mdingle — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:45:00 GMT

Today, Microsoft announced the release to manufacturing (RTM) of Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server (FSOCS).

Microsoft Forefront Security for Office Communications Server provides fast and effective protection against IM-based malware for OCS 2007 and OCS 2007 R2 environments by including multiple scanning engines from industry-leading security partners. FSOCS also helps reduce corporate liability by blocking instant messages containing inappropriate content.

Like other Forefront server security products, FSOCS provides superior detection of the latest threats when compared to single engine solutions by using our multiple engine scanning technology. FSOCS has also been featured in a few of the OCS R2 virtual launch sessions that you should check out. Lastly, we are making available some new content including a new demo walk though, case studies from Sporton International and Convergent Systems, and a datasheet. Be on the lookout in the next few weeks for our Technet virtual hands on labs!

Some of the new functionality in this release includes:

o 64bit support

o Support for OCS 2007 R2

o Support for OCS 2007 Enterprise Edition server roles

o Integration with OCS 2007 Access Edge role to protect corporate IM from external public IM threats

o Localization in 11 languages

For more information on FSOCS, please check out the Microsoft Forefront Server Security Team blog and download FSOCS today!

Microsoft Helps Protect Organizations from Web-based Threats

grantkd — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:00:00 GMT

The Web is simultaneously becoming more important and more dangerous to businesses. Today Microsoft released Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) Beta 2 for download. Forefront TMG, the successor to ISA Server, helps organizations take full advantage of business benefits presented by the Web by keeping malware out and controlling employee Web usage.

Check out Senior Product Manager Bill Jensen’s blog entry for more details on key features of Forefront TMG Beta 2 and the new TechNet Edge video.

Additionally, customers who purchase a license for Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2006 Enterprise Edition along with Software Assurance will receive 15% off the combined purchase. Customers will also receive the upgrade to Forefront TMG when it releases later this year. See www.microsoftincentives.com for full details.

Other resources:

Download Beta 2 now!

Forefront Videos on TechNet Edge

Forefront Team Blog

ISA Server Team Blog

Independent research firm recognizes Microsoft NAP as a leader in Network Access Control

grantkd — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 03:04:00 GMT

Microsoft’s Network Access Protection (NAP) solution was cited as a leader (the top category) in a recent independent report, “The Forrester Wave: Network Access Control, Q3 2008.” Microsoft was one of the many network access control (NAC) vendors invited to participate in the report.

For more information please visit the Forefront Team blog and Windows Server Division blog.