A new subscription service announced by the Redmond-based maker of the Xbox 360 will provide software maintenance and PC security.
Today, Microsoft announced plans to introduce Windows OneCare. The subscription-based service will offer consumers a comprehensive, easy to use package of tools to keep their Windows-base personal computers operational.
“Windows OneCare is the next major advance in our ongoing efforts to help keep consumers’ Windows-based PCs ‘healthy’ in a way that’s simple and as worry-free as possible for them,” said Ryan Hamlin, general manager of the Technology Care and Safety Group at Microsoft.
Windows OneCare has safety concerns such as spyware, viruses, and worms at its core. But Windows OneCare will also help consumers with other areas of concern.
To protect against infection and malicious software, Windows OneCare continually updates itself with anti-virus and anti-spyware protection. A firewall comprises another part of the package; a properly configured firewall helps protect against attacks that target open ports on machines.
Users of Windows OneCare can allow the software to automatically perform system maintenance tasks. The system can perform hard disk defragmentation and repair corrupted files.
Also, for those who wish to perform regular data backups from their systems, the service can automatically backup selected personal data, like photos, recipes, or financial information, to a local CD or DVD drive.
Users can perform regular full and incremental backups of system data with the service, and have that resource available in case of data loss or greater system problems that require a restore from backup.
The Windows OneCare service will update itself and run in the background to offer continual protection as new threats become identified. “We’re designing the service so it will continually update and evolve over time, helping to ensure that our customers will have the most complete and effective protection and safety services in place every time they turn on their PC,” said Mr. Hamlin.
Currently Microsoft has begun testing the service with in-house employees. A public beta version will be available later this year. Pricing for the service has not been announced.
David Utter is a staff writer for murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
