Microsoft Outlines Vision to Enable Secure and Easy Anywhere Access for People and Organizations
Company Announces New Alliances and Product Initiatives to Help Evolve Networks, Protection and Identity and Achieve Anywhere Access
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 6 -- Top executives from Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) today outlined a vision for secure and easy "anywhere access" and committed to working with the industry to evolve networks, protection and identity to achieve that vision for customers. In their keynote address at the RSA Conference 2007, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie discussed how the industry can further advance efforts around trustworthy computing to enable people to access, share and use corporate and personal information without fear that it will be compromised, stolen or exploited. Although anywhere access is not a new term, Gates and Mundie expanded the definition to encompass a broad range of scenarios and technologies across networking, platforms and applications.
Also at RSA, Microsoft announced a series of product news, initiatives and industry alliances to help customers achieve anywhere access, including the upcoming availability of Identity Lifecycle Manager 2007, the public beta of Microsoft® Forefront(TM) Server Security Management Console, support for Extended Validation SSL certificates in Internet Explorer® 7, and new collaboration with industry partners to help combat phishing.
"Security is the fundamental challenge that will determine whether we can successfully create a new generation of connected experiences that enable people to have anywhere access to communications, content and information," Gates said. "The answer for the industry lies in our ability to design systems and processes that give people and organizations a high degree of confidence that the technology they use will protect their identity, their privacy and their information."
"To create the level of seamless, pervasive connectivity that will make secure anywhere access a reality, continued collaboration and cooperation across this industry is essential," Mundie added. "If we can work together to enhance trust, it will open the door to a transformation in the way people share experiences, explore ideas and create opportunities."
Gates and Mundie said that to further advance trust and enable anywhere access, there are three key technological areas for industry focus and momentum:
oEvolution of networks. As businesses and the industry move forward on
redefining network boundaries, policy will become the driving force for
managing access -- not the physical topology of the network. The goal is
for the network and the Internet to appear and work as if the boundaries
between them are seamless, so access for users is easier and faster.
oEvolution of protection. To achieve this anywhere access vision,
customers need comprehensive security products and services that
integrate seamlessly with each other and existing infrastructure and that
are easy to use and manage. There is a necessity for the industry to
enable greater protection, not only when information is in transit but
also when it is created and where it resides, whether on the server, the
desktop or a mobile device.
oEvolution of identity. Today, individuals and businesses struggle with an
increasing number of digital identities to manage and the increased level
of complexity and risk that goes with them. The industry's collaborative
efforts around the development of an identity metasystem are the right
direction, and customers need this system to be based on standard
protocols that address heterogeneous infrastructures in order to reduce
the complexity of managing identities across networks and the Web.
Industry Alliances
Gates and Mundie reinforced Microsoft's commitment to interoperability and its ongoing work with governments, organizations and partners to create and implement industrywide standards that enable systems and applications to work together. The company is continuing to work with the industry on the WS-* Web standard and with the Interop Vendor Alliance, a global, cross-industry group of software and hardware vendors launched in November 2006, to identify opportunities for enhancing interoperability with Microsoft systems on behalf of their customers. In the coming year, the Interop Vendor Alliance will work closely with the SecureIT Alliance, announced at last year's RSA Conference, to expand education and outreach on cross-platform security offerings to benefit customers and partners integrating these solutions. Since its formation, SecureIT Alliance membership has grown from 30 founding ISV developers to over 100 member firms. Microsoft's efforts with its more than 100 partners in the Network Access Protection (NAP) program are also focused on interoperability across platforms, devices and networks.
More information about Microsoft's vision for enabling anywhere access based on trust and about recent product and partner initiatives can be found in Microsoft's RSA virtual pressroom at www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/rsa/default.mspx .
