Business warned not to rely solely on future Windows OS for virus protection
Businesses should not rely on Microsoft"s future operating system to secure desktops against viruses, analyst Gartner Group has warned, despite its plans to embed the recently acquired GeCAD antivirus engine into Windows.Gartner predicted that by 2008 it is likely that 80 per cent of companies will be using Longhorn - the desktop release of Windows due in 2005 - for lock down and antivirus management, rather than third-party software. However, Arabella Hallawell, research director at Gartner, warned attendees at its IT Security Summit against relying solely on Microsoft for antivirus protection at the desktop.
"A fully integrated antivirus Microsoft solution may appear attractive but non-Windows platforms may not be supported," she said. "XP is not good enough for the enterprise and if companies wait for Longhorn there are questions over how effective the new personal firewall will be."