Microsoft delays some security updates

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July 14, 2004 (Computerworld) -- TORONTO -- Users who have already endured delays for security-focused product and services updates that Microsoft Corp. pledged would be ready by now will have to wait a while longer.
At its Worldwide Partner Conference here this week, Microsoft officials disclosed that the already-delayed Windows Update Services (WUS), won't be ready until the first half of next year. WUS, which was formerly known as Software Update Services (SUS), can be used to automate patch distribution to employees on a scheduled basis and will be available for free.
At last October's Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the patch management service would be ready in the first half of this year. In March, Microsoft revised that, saying WUS would be available in the second half of the year. Now, the availability date has been pushed back again.
Mike Nash, vice president of Microsoft's security business unit, attributed the delay to the security-focused Windows XP Service Pack 2. Microsoft announced yesterday that SP2 is due for release to manufacturing next month.
"The key issue [with WUS] is that our updating technology is a core part of how Windows XP Service Pack 2 is going to ship," Nash said. "That team is working on getting SP2 done, and as soon as SP2 is done, we'll be able to go focus on getting Windows Update Services done. ... You can't do the two in parallel. You have to get one done [first]."
Nash noted some encouraging signs that WUS could see wide usage. Last year, the vast majority of over 4,000 partners indicated by a show of hands that they didn't use SUS. At this week's conference, lots of hands went up when a similar question was posed. That, said Nash, reflects numbers showing that about 112,000 unique servers connect to Microsoft every day to check for content using SUS.
WUS is currently available as a private beta. A public beta is due toward the end of the year, according to Gytis Barzdukas, director of product management in Microsoft's security business and technology unit.

The Microsoft Update service that Ballmer also said would be ready by May has also been delayed to the first half of next year for similar reasons, Nash said. Microsoft Update is a single place on the company's Web site where patches for all Microsoft products will be available.
Another offering that will emerge later than originally planned is Network Access Protection technology, which has previously been referred to by more generic terminology such as quarantine or safety and inspection technology. Using Network Access Protection, IT administrators can set policies to determine if users entering their networks have

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