Software maker Kaspersky Lab has released its initial anti-virus products that support Microsoft's new Vista operating system. Shipped on Dec. 28, the software is a beta version of a maintenance update for Kaspersky's Anti-Virus 6.0 and Internet Security products that includes the new support for Vista, which was introduced by Microsoft in mid-November 2006.
While the first Vista-oriented products built by Kaspersky, which has its headquarters in Moscow, Russia, cover the company's consumer-oriented technologies, the firm is in the process of creating versions of its enterprise security applications that will be tailored to work with the Microsoft OS. Kaspersky has yet to disclose publicly an official date when those products will arrive.
"Many of our users have expressed interest in Vista, and we are providing a clear path for them to do so securely with Kaspersky," said Steve Orenberg, president of Kaspersky, in a statement. "Customers can confidently continue to enjoy the response time and protection from Kaspersky regardless of which operating system they choose."
Built with a number of security tools onboard, including anti-virus capabilities, some industry watchers have predicted that the arrival of Vista will make it harder for mid-tier software makers such as Kaspersky to compete, as Microsoft's entry to the market will also push industry leaders Symantec and McAfee to cut pricing for their own applications.
