Microsoft Forefront lags behind rivals

Is the new Microsoft security portfolio an opportunity the channel must not miss in 2011?

In December, Microsoft released its Forefront Endpoint Protection (FEP) 2010 suite that protects against malware and other threats. Used with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007 (MSCCM), Windows BitLocker for encryption and the Windows Firewall, businesses can keep their Windows desktops and laptops up to date and secure, something most value. Microsoft now has a comprehensive capability to protect and manage Windows PC end points.

Microsoft hopes that with a big channel drive, 2011 could be the breakthrough year for FEP and that it will prove to be an effective challenge to Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security, Symantec Endpoint Protection V12, McAfee Endpoint Protection Suite and other security products.

This hope is bolstered by the expected acceleration of the take-up of Windows 7. Although research we did in 2011 shows that Windows 7 was quite widely used among SMBs, conversations with resellers and service providers suggest they are rarely committed across the board, especially if they are larger businesses. However, some Microsoft LARs say they expect many more enterprises to make the move in 2011.

When businesses do move to Windows 7, they tell us they will review their Windows end point security at the same time, and the Microsoft offering will be on the list. So is Microsoft set to take the end point security market by storm? Probably not. It has three problems.

Businesses now have end points to worry about beyond the PC, and beyond the PC Microsoft is currently an also-ran. Its smartphone market share languishes below five per cent. Microsoft hopes its new partnership with Nokia will reverse its fortunes, but that would take time.

Meanwhile businesses are increasingly using tablets. Gartner predicts 55m iPads will be sold in 2011, and other hardware vendors, many using Android, will have entered the market.

Microsoft is not even trying to keep up with this diversity. And it does not even support old versions of its own products. FEP 2010 is only available for Windows XP and later and BitLocker only in Win7 and Vista. There is no FEP or BitLocker for Windows Mobile.

Also, IT security is about servers, datacentres, networks and on-demand services as well as end points. The revamped Forefront range includes Server Security, Threat Management Gateway, and Unified Access Gateway. Few businesses have ever had such back end homogeneity. A single vendor for their security needs must be a specialist.

Some existing Microsoft distributors are keen to join a new VAD programme for Forefront. However, many resellers are unconvinced, some saying that in evaluations Forefront does not come out on top, and that there is little margin in Microsoft security products and they have to fall back on services.

Resellers do, however, complain that because Enterprise Agreements and Enterprise Client Access Licences (CAL) now include many Forefront products, their customers have already paid to use them. When this is the case, there is no incremental product revenue for the reseller. VARs may be unlikely to highlight this for the end user.

Forefront will become more widely used in 2011, but few organisations can rely solely on Microsoft for their IT security needs. There is plenty of opportunity left for the specialist security vendors and most resellers seem unlikely to jump ship to Forefront in 2011.

Bob Tarzey is service director at Quocirca