In this fiscal year alone, Microsoft will spend $9.5 bn on R&D

Physical security is very often talked about as
indispensable, but not so often taken seriously. Is this attitude undergoing
change?

Yes, I feel the attitude towards physical security has improved post 9/11.
Since then, there have been many other terrorist acts throughout the world and
in order to continue to function as a civil society, people require a certain
sense of safety. Many look at their government to protect citizens; however,
there is a strong need for the private sector to provide a safe and secure
environment for their employees, guests, and clients. Ive seen great
improvement in the area of physical security in the private sector, and its
continuing to be an important driver in all facets of the government and private
entities.

What are the efforts that Microsoft is putting in the
security front?

In this fiscal year alone, Microsoft will spend $9.5 bn on R&D. A lot of
this development and effort goes into the security of our products. At
Microsoft, we have three regional global security operations centers (GSOC),
located in the US, the UK, and India. They monitor more than 700 sites
worldwide, along with 1,86,000 active personnel access accounts; 10,000 video
cameras; and 5,000 other devices, such as duress alarms, biometric security
systems, and environmental alarms. The GSOCs are central support centers
designed to serve as communication hubs with all Microsoft assets worldwide.

Which core technologies are your security solutions
deploying?

We utilize Microsofts new operating system Windows 7 and the full
enterprise suite of Microsoft Office applications (Office Communicator 2007,
Office InfoPath 2007, Office Grove 2007, Office Live Meeting 2007, Office
OneNote 2007, SQL Server 2007, Windows Mobile, geo-spatial mapping utilizing
Bing Maps). We also use partner solutions that work on our Microsoft platform
such as IDV Visual Fusion (geo-spatial mapping), Lenel OnGuard (card access,
digital video, and visitor management), PPM2000 Perspective (case
management/investigations).

Are you focusing on the government in a big way?

We just want to show the government agencies that you can have robust
security technology solutions without expensive development costs or
customization by using commercial off-the-shelf technology. We routinely
showcase our global security solutions to governmental agencies, and highlight
our unique model of using off-the-shelf solutions in extraordinary ways. The
feedback from these agencies has been extremely positive.

Mehak Chawla

mehakc@cybermedia.co.in