Microsoft moves beyond patches

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<a target="_blank" href="http://www.microsoft.com"&gt;Microsoft<a> have finally realised that their current strategy of patching Windows holes as and when they emerge, just ain't cutting it. This revelation comes about 5 years to late, but nevertheless, it is a welcomed acknowledgement by the software giant. The big question is however, what is Microsoft going to do about it?

Well, next week they plan to outline a new security effort, which is said to be focused on what the company calls "securing the perimeter".

"From our side, (it) has been a little naive to think that all of those customers are going to do patches," said Orlando Ayala, Microsoft's former sales chief, who now heads its sales push to small and midsize businesses. "It's just hard."

Until now, Microsoft's efforts have largely centered on improving the way it writes its code and then fixing holes as they emerge. "The strategy on security has been very (much) based on patch management," Ayala said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

However, recent worm and virus attacks have repeatedly shown that many customers remain vulnerable long after patches have been released, he said.

The full report:
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