Microsoft Protection that Everyone can Afford
by Norm on Tuesday, November 18, 2008 23:15
In a move that is sure to rattle the cages of their competitors, Microsoft has decided to drop the price of their consumer security suite by 100%. Yep, it’s going to be free. Now you can be protected and you can keep your $49.95 for other things, like groceries.
The Windows Live OneCare service is actually a bundle of protection products that includes antivirus, antispyware, firewall, wireless networking security, and online identity theft protection. This free deal kicks the pants off of the ZoneAlarm deal I posted this morning.
[more]Under their current sales strategy, Microsoft sells OneCare as a subscription based service - much like their competitors. Companies like McAfee, Symantec, and AVG will likely be up in arms over this new strategy. I suspect we will see some strong anti-trust campaigns funded by the competition. Remember though, this is all about protecting you. It’s not about who can get your dollar faster.
The new offering, which is code-named “Morrow”, should be available in the second half of 2009. Microsoft is planning to discontinue retail sales of its Windows Live OneCare subscription service on June 30, 2009.
Read the press release from Microsoft Presspass.
