Vista security: Most vendors still working on tools

Microsoft released Windows Vista for businesses on Thursday but most security companies look like they need more time to deliver tools to protect the new operating system.

CA, Symantec and Trend Micro are still working on products for Vista, representatives for the each of the companies said. McAfee is the only major security software maker that has products available now for the long-awaited Microsoft operating system.

Natalie Lambert, an analyst at Forrester Research, said: "The absence of security software from the major vendors will be another reason why business will not migrate to Vista right away." That's in addition to the lack of support for Vista in general applications, which are the tools businesses need to run their operations, she noted.

Microsoft celebrated the launch of Vista in New York on Thursday. It is the company's first major Windows client release since Windows XP shipped in 2001. On the back of Microsoft's announcement, CA, McAfee, Symantec and Trend Micro all put out news releases promoting software for Vista PCs. Yet none announced actual product availability, except McAfee.

Rees Johnson, McAfee's vice president of product management, said: "McAfee is the only major security vendor with products available today that support Vista right out of the gate." McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 8.5 and McAfee AntiSpyware Enterprise 8.5 support Vista and are available now, the company said.

The other large security vendors plan to release their corporate products for Vista over the next few months. Symantec plans to release an update to AntiVirus Corporate Edition by 31 December; Trend Micro expects to have a new version of OfficeScan ready in the first half of 2007; and CA's new antivirus and antispyware is due out by early February.

Forrester's Lambert said: "I really expect all vendors to have shipping solutions before the end of the first quarter. But even then, Vista rollouts will be time-consuming." Forrester doesn't expect mass deployment of the new operating system until 2008, she said.

So, while lack of security tools for Vista could mean some people will hold off from upgrading right away, it is not a major issue for the majority of business users, according to Lambert. "This is not a big deal, as we will not see enterprises switching to Vista immediately," she said.

Microsoft has promoted Vista as the most secure version of Windows yet but has also emphasised that users will still need to run security software to protect their PCs. For example, three of the top 10 types of malicious software that hit PC users today can bypass Vista's security defences, security company Sophos said on its website on Thursday.

A Microsoft representative said: "Microsoft continues to encourage customers to follow all of the steps of the 'Protect Your PC' guidance of enabling a firewall, applying all software updates and installing antivirus software."

Joris Evers writes for CNET News.com