Are small-business and home users ready to sign up for subscription-based security services from Microsoft Corp.?

Next week, on February 6, Microsoft is officially ending the testing phase of its "PC Satisfaction Trial." But the company is still refusing to say how, when and if it will go live with the various security services it has been testing.

Some PC Satisfaction testers have speculated the services will be rolled into Longhorn; others think they could debut in a future release of MSN.

Microsoft's PC Satisfaction Trial was designed to test Microsoft and third-party anti-virus, firewall, backup and PC-health-monitoring services. Sources said that Microsoft was testing whether these kinds of security services—when provided as hosted, managed services—would appeal to typically less-security-savvy small-business and consumer customers. These customers, who seldom have strong IT departments at their beck and call, are typically the ones hurt worst by worms and viruses like MyDoom, Blaster, SoBig and the like.

Read More About the PC Sat Trial Here

Since April 2003, the Redmond software vendor continually updated the bits with which testers were working. During the course of the test, sources said, Microsoft tested F-Secure's hosted antivirus, among other managed services.

"You will need to take steps to make sure that your data and your PC are fully protected when the PC Satisfaction Trial ends on Friday, February 6, 2004," reads the note that Microsoft its testers on its BetaPlace Web site, according to NeoWin. "Specifically, we recommend that you: Restore any files you have archived with the backup utility prior to uninstalling the PC Satisfaction Trial software. (And) Obtain and install current anti-virus and firewall software."

Testers Talk Trial

Last summer, some testers speculated on Microsoft's private PC Sat newsgroup that Microsoft might opt to fold some or all of these services into Longhorn, its Windows client release due in 2006.

"Lots of users need exactly this kind of hand-holding and one-stop shopping and this would be a great addition to Longhorn. Please add spyware checking, however," said one tester, in a newsgroup posting viewed by Microsoft Watch.

Another trial tester, who requested anonymity, said: "The purpose of the test is a total mystery to me. We've been told many times that no product suitable for shipping is to emerge from the trial, so I don't understand where it's going. My guess is, despite their assertions, that MS is looking at shipping a product for the technologically-challenged that will provide basic anti-virus, firewall, and backup services with minimal user setup or worry."

This tester noted that the anti-virus code that is currently part of the PC Satisfaction Trial test was not from GeCAD, the Romanian anti-virus company that Microsoft purchased. Instead, it seems as if anti-virus code from Command Software is at the heart of the current PC Sat Trial build, he said.

"If the (PC Sat Trial) product is not considerably more user configurable (as opposed to the install and forget experience that we're presently getting), then there will absolutely be a place for third-party AV and firewall vendors," acknowledged the tester.

"The ability to do 'on-demand' virus scans is still not there in PC Sat. It desperately needs to be there, as does online e-mail scanning (like Norton AV)," the tester added.

"The firewall is still quite rudimentary and only configurable for outgoing (not incoming) stuff. It's got a long way to go, and MS will have to convince the public that its features compare favorably with the current industry leaders, like Symantec. They haven't convinced the testers, yet."

A company spokeswoman contacted Thursday said the company is not commenting on the results of the trial or Microsoft's plans for making these kinds of security services commercially available.

(This article contains information excerpted from the June 24, 2003, issue of the Microsoft Watch newsletter.)