LAS VEGAS -- Computer Associates International will give away its consumer antivirus and firewall software product with a year's subscription to virus signature updates, the company announced here at Comdex.
The eTrust EZ Armor product carries a retail price of $49.95 but will be available as a free download from Computer Associates through June 30, 2004, company says in a statement.
Security Promotion
The offer is part of Microsoft's Protect Your PC campaign. It also comes two years after CA pulled a free antivirus product for consumers, saying it was too expensive to maintain.
Microsoft launched the Protect Your PC campaign in response to recent virus and worm outbreaks as a way to get consumers to secure their systems. The leading antivirus vendors had expressed concern when Microsoft acquired its own antivirus technology.
Competitor Shrugs
CA is not a major competitor in the market for consumer antivirus software compared with big players such as Symantec. CA's free security software announcement sent Symantec's share price down Tuesday from an opening price of $65.10 to a close of $61.35, and the decline continued on Wednesday, with the stock closing at $60.35.
Still, Symantec Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Thompson dismissed CA's move as a desperate attempt to gain market share in the consumer antivirus arena.
"We have seen desperate acts by desperate people before. If you don't have a large share of the market you will try just about anything," Thompson says. "We believe that securing the infrastructure is not philanthropic."
For more Comdex news, check PCWorld.com's ongoing coverage of the trade show.
