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24 November Facts about OneCareIn the wake of our announcement about our future core antimalware solution, code-named "Morro", there has been some misleading and inaccurate information about OneCare's quality, performance, and overall level of protection. We want to reassure all our customers with the truth of the matter:
· Fact: Customers of OneCare will remain protected for the life of their subscription. When “Morro” becomes available, we will work with our customers to help transition them on to this new security offering if they so desire.
· Fact: OneCare is tested by numerous organizations around the world and has been certified by two of the industry's leading independent certification authorities, ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs, as providing high-quality and effective protection against viruses, spyware, and other forms of malware. In addition, Windows Live OneCare has received VB100 awards since June 2007.
· Fact: In 3rd-party benchmarking by West Coast Labs in January of 2008, common applications started up to 70% faster in systems running OneCare than did systems running other leading consumer security solutions. Internally, we regularly conduct benchmark testing against other security suites that show OneCare still outperforms other comparable security and PC care solutions in the area of boot time and system impact.
· Fact: Microsoft is refocusing our efforts away from the for-fee OneCare security suite business and on to a quality no-cost anti-malware solution for a simple reason: We are committed to helping more consumers in more markets have a reliable, trusted experience on Windows PCs.
Microsoft remains committed to providing a core antimalware solution to help protect all our customers, in addition to the ongoing security improvements and protections offered by Windows and Internet Explorer. And by making this new solution available at no charge, we hope to be able to help the estimated 60% of consumers who still do not have up-to-date antimalware protection.
Once again, if you still have additional questions about this announcement, please visit the OneCare help center for free online support. 18 November Consumer Security Strategy UpdateOneCare subscribers currently enjoy the benefits of always-on virus, spyware and malware protection, centralized backup to keep personal information safe, and management features to keep PC’s optimized and running smoothly. But a majority of consumers around the world do not have up-to-date antivirus, antispyware and antimalware protection.
In hopes of getting more consumers protected, this week, Microsoft announced that it will offer a new security solution to consumers at no cost beginning in the second half of calendar year 2009. This new offering will focus on getting the majority of consumers the essential protection they need by providing comprehensive, real-time anti-malware protection, covering such threats as viruses, spyware, rootkits, trojans, and other emerging threats, in a single, focused solution.
In order for us to focus on delivering this new security solution to millions of customers around the world, we have decided to phase out Windows Live OneCare and will discontinue retail sales of Windows Live OneCare subscription service beginning June 30, 2009.
If you are a current OneCare subscriber, there is no action that you need to take at this time.
OneCare will continue to be available online at http://onecare.live.com to new and renewing subscribers at least until the new solution is available, for use on Windows XP and Windows Vista PCs. And Microsoft has committed to making sure you are protected for the life of your subscription. We'll provide more information and details as we get closer to June and the availability of the new solution. But again, there is no action that you need to take at this time.
Ultimately, we believe the decision to offer a security solution at no additional cost to consumers and phase out Windows Live OneCare is the right step to broaden PC protection and improve the Windows experience for more users around the world. Microsoft will continue to deliver on its commitment to provide consumers around the world with a world-class security solution.
We anticipate you may have some questions about these changes and so we have addressed some of the commonly asked questions below.
Q: Will I continue to receive up-to-date virus signatures through the end of my paid subscription? A: Yes! Microsoft will ensure all current customers remain protected through the life of their subscriptions.
Q: Will my subscription automatically be converted to the new no-cost offering? A: You will be given the opportunity to opt in to using our new offering when the new solution is available.
Q: What do you recommend if my OneCare subscription ends before the free solution is available? A: Having current anti-virus and anti-spyware protection is important. You can renew your Windows Live OneCare subscription until the new solution is available. We will ensure you remain protected through the life of your subscriptions.
Q: What do you recommend I do at the end of my OneCare subscription if I am running Windows XP? A: You can renew your OneCare subscription until the new solution is available. After that, you can choose our new offering for core antimalware protection. A variety of third-party consumer security offerings are also available.
Q: Will the new solution be available in my country? A: At a minimum, the new solution will initially be available to consumers in all markets where Windows Live OneCare is currently available.
Q. Will I still be able to store my photos with OneCare online backup? Should you still have additional questions about this announcement, please visit the OneCare help center for free online support. |
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