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In an announcement that could send reverberations throughout the antivirus software world, Microsoft said Tuesday that it was acquiring antivirus technology from a small Romanian company, GeCAD Software Srl of Bucharest.

In a statement, the Redmond, Washington, company said that it was acquiring the "intellectual property and technology assets" of GeCAD. Details of the purchase were not provided.

Calls to GeCAD were not answered.

Antivirus Apps

GeCAD makes RAV AntiVirus, a family of security products that includes antivirus, antispam, and content filtering technology for service providers, enterprises, and home users.

As part of the deal, GeCAD will retain its name and the rights to the RAV AntiVirus product name. The company will continue operating a small consulting business and providing its customers with RAV AntiVirus signature updates, in keeping with its contractual obligations, according to Mike Nash, corporate vice president for Microsoft's Security Business Unit.

However, GeCAD will cease development of the RAV product once the acquisition is complete, Nash said.

GeCAD's antivirus engineering staff will be joining Microsoft's Security Business Unit in Redmond, he said.

Microsoft will use the GeCAD technology to provide antivirus "solutions" for Microsoft products and services, Microsoft said.

GeCAD engineers will also help the company open the Windows platform for closer integration with other antivirus software vendors, the company said.

While Microsoft did not provide a time line or pricing information for the solutions it will be developing, the company did say that GeCAD technology would be used to help keep Windows users up-to-date with virus signatures and to develop a new generation of antivirus tools for "evolving threat models."

Increased Attention

The company said acquiring GeCAD will help Microsoft and its partners mitigate the risks of viruses and malicious code.

"Our goal is to make sure we get as close to the [malicious code] problem and get a deeper understanding of it so that as the problem evolves, we can evolve our solutions to deal with it," Nash said.

Asked what kinds of solutions Microsoft will develop, Nash declined to provide specifics but said Microsoft will sell its antivirus technology separately from Windows.

Similar to other antivirus software vendors, Microsoft will offer a subscription service to obtain antivirus signature updates, he said.

The company did not yet have details about pricing and packaging for the technology, but Microsoft is interested in addressing all the markets currently served by the RAV technology--from service providers down to the desktop, according to Nash.

"Our interest is where our customers need us to be. The [antivirus] engines are similar across all those products, as are the signatures," he said.

Supplement, Not Replacement

With its products and operating systems the frequent targets of virus writers, Microsoft has been devoting an increasing amount of attention to antivirus technology in recent months.

In May, for example, the company joined with antivirus vendors Network Associates and Trend Micro to form the Virus Information Alliance in an effort to keep users better informed about virus threats to Microsoft products.

The GeCAD technology was attractive because of its strong virus detection capabilities and a strong "cultural fit" between the GeCAD antivirus team and Microsoft, Nash said.

GeCAD's stripped-down antivirus technology may have been more interesting to Microsoft than more established stand-alone products such as Norton AntiVirus by Symantec or McAfee from Network Associates, according to John Pescatore, a Gartner analyst.

"The [GeCAD] technology had so little else wrapped around it, and Microsoft didn't want to deal with absorbing a sales force and channel--everything else you get with a bigger company," Pescatore said.

Besides making life tough for established antivirus software vendors, Microsoft would make consumers suffer if it tries to dominate the antivirus software market as it did with the market for Web browsers, Pescatore said.

However, Microsoft could score points by using the GeCAD technology to make its many products and services more virus-proof, while leaving the door open for third-party vendors to keep creating antivirus signatures and rules for use with Windows, he said.

Microsoft went to great pains on Tuesday to emphasize that it will keep working with third-party antivirus companies. The company briefed antiviruscompanies on its decision to buy GeCAD Monday, Nash said.

Microsoft will continue development to give antivirus companies a more direct path into the workings of Windows and Microsoft applications, he said. The company is also committed to developing an antivirus platform that can support multiple antivirus engines working side by side, Nash said.

"We think it's imperative that customers have a choice to use solutions from Microsoft or from a third party," Nash said.

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• RAV Antivirus,
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• Network Associates,
• Trend Micro