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Can Microsoft Reshape the Anti-Virus Market?
Microsoft's massive presence in the anti-virus space may be bad news for vendors leading the market, but for enterprise customers with tight budgets, it presents wonderful bargaining opportunities. With all-out price war looming, an influential IT research firm suggests that enterprises use Microsoft Corp.'s anti-virus push to negotiate better pricing—and bundled services—from existing vendors.On the heels of the Windows OneCare rollout for consumers, a subscription-based package that bundles virus, spyware and firewall protection alongside data backup and PC configuration features, Gartner Inc. is predicting an enterprise-grade service will ship in 2006 for sale well below current market prices. "We're telling out clients, especially midsize businesses, to use Microsoft as a bargaining chip to get better pricing right now," said John Pescatore, Gartner research director for Internet security. (more)