Microsoft: Progress Made on Security
Microsoft over the weekend told attendees at its annual Worldwide Partner Conference that it has made considerable strides in securing its products since 2003, when company CEO Steve Ballmer pledged to make security a top priority.
Speaking at the conference, Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Security Business and Technology Unit cited Windows XP SP2 as a prime example of Microsoft's progress. Nash said over 218 million copies of SP2 have been installed to date, despite reports that business have been slow to adopt the service pack.
On the server side, two million copies of Windows Server 2003 SP1 have been installed by customers.
"It has been almost two years since Steve Ballmer addressed this audience making a companywide commitment that Microsoft would make security a top priority, and we have been focused on delivering on that commitment," said Nash.
As part of the change, Microsoft has implement the Security Development Lifecycle (SDL), which is designed to cut down on the number of vulnerabilities in the company's software. Over 15,000 developers, program managers and testers are part of the program.
"We've taken the feedback we've received from customers and partners and turned that into action, making notable strides developing more secure products, and delivering essential guidance and tools to help customers be more secure," added Nash.
Nash also highlighted new and upcoming products designed to help customers keep their systems protected from the increasing wave of viruses and spyware. Windows AntiSpyware has been downloaded over 21 million times, Microsoft said. Windows OneCare, the company's new antivirus and PC protection service, will also be delivered in beta form this year.
Microsoft will additionally expand its partner program to include two new security specializations: Security Management and Infrastructure Security.