Digital Home Thoughts: Microsoft Enters The PC Security Industry

"For those not in on the beta or following Microsoft's exciting forays into freeware, the software promises to cover all the security basics and fend off viruses, spyware and other malicious software, and Microsoft even assures us that it'll "run quietly in the background" and only intrude on your life when an action is required."

Microsoft's Security Essentials has only been in beta for three months, but apparently is now ready for public consumption. It is free (for home and non-commercial use), available for most current versions of Windows and is being promptly frowned upon by other PC security vendors like Symantec. It is great to see Microsoft taking a more active approach in protecting Windows based computers, especially with the huge number of compromised computers out there causing untold amounts of harm and skimming everyone's personal information. Reviews have been coming in and so far the objective ones have been fairly positive. Of course, there are a wide variety of free and non-free solutions available, but this just gives people one less reason to not have their PC secured.