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Ever since Microsoft in 2003 announced it would offer antivirus products, Thompson has been asked how Symantec will respond. Microsoft is going after consumers with its Windows OneCare Live security package, slated for U.S. release next month, and is targeting businesses with its Microsoft Client Protection suite, expected by year's end.
Symantec will beat Microsoft by building better products and taking advantage of its security reputation, Thompson has said repeatedly. On Wednesday, while speaking at a Gartner event, he added that mass adoption of Microsoft's security tools could have an adverse affect on security.
"If all of a sudden the whole world uses the monoculture of Microsoft and the monoculture of Microsoft security capability, I am not sure we would create a more secure world," Thompson said. "Diversity in the security platforms supplied on top (of Windows), we think is of great value in protecting that infrastructure."
After his talk at the Gartner event, Thompson sat down with CNET News.com to discuss Microsoft, Symantec's integration of Veritas Software and move to a more enterprise-focused vendor, as well as the future of Symantec and Thompson's own role at the company.
Q: You've said that Microsoft should make its products more secure, but
that it would be dangerous if the world relied on Microsoft's upcoming security
software. Would it become a major target?
Thompson: Look at what's
happened in the Windows world. Hackers have decided that there is a very large,
target-rich environment here. If all of a sudden now the infrastructure that is
being attacked also becomes the common infrastructure for securing the
environment and the attackers decide to attack that too, what does that say for
computer users around the world who have embraced this monoculture?
I would argue the world is safer when you have diversity, not when you have a monoculture that is common that when one exploit is delivered, it can literally wipe out millions of machines around the world. Hence, we believe the world is safer with us and other security vendors adding capability on top of the Windows platform.
Microsoft should do more to protect Windows. They can and should protect the kernel of Windows, make it less vulnerable, and respond more quickly to vulnerabilities. They are doing a better job, but to suggest to the world that they are going to deliver all the security, we don't think that’s appropriate.
People always ask how you will counter Microsoft's upcoming entry into the
security space. You've said that you'll beat them with your reputation and
innovation. How are you going to out-innovate a company that has over US$6 billion
in R&D spending, more than your annual revenue?
Thompson: Microsoft
spends its US$6 billion on a wide array of things. They have a large R&D
budget; it is spread very thin across a lot of initiatives. I would be willing
to bet that the amount of money they spend on security is not nearly as
significant as what we spend, because we're much more focused.
Another part of Microsoft's muscle, besides its R&D budget, is its
marketing engine. It has got a big marketing budget and is going to go out there
and market its new security offerings. How are you going to respond to that?
Thompson: When Microsoft does enter the market and has their aggressive
marketing campaign, the whole world will benefit from that. It will start to
create a level of awareness that, quite frankly, must occur.
We protect more people from more online threats than anyone else in the world, bar none. So there is a reputation value that we will certainly trade on as we think about our marketing activities and marketing campaigns over the course of the next year or so.
Do you feel you have to ramp up your marketing?
Thompson:
Certainly, there is no question about that. You can't have Microsoft essentially
take all of the oxygen out of the air with their marketing campaign. So we have
to have our own point of view that we bring to the market that stresses the
history and longevity of Symantec in this space and leverages the more than 50
million users of our security
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