Yes, you read correctly. Microsoft’s axes have now fallen on a number of Forefront enterprise security products. Microsoft has already ceased some of its mainstream programs in order to make its product line more streamlined. Now, the company has stopped working on a number of Forefront enterprise security products and plans to integrate those security features into a number of other products. The rumour has already hit the market that Microsoft will very soon turn down many of its Forefront Threat Management Gateway products. Unfortunately, it is a bitter truth and it doesn’t stop there. Many more enterprise security products are in line for extinction.
The list includes a number of prominent applications such as Forefront Protection 2010 for Exchange Server (FPE), Forefront Protection 2010 for SharePoint (FPSP), Forefront Security for Office Communications Server (FSOCS), the Forefront Threat Management Gateway Web Protection Services (TMG WPS) and Forefront Threat Management Gateway 2010 (TMG). Microsoft confirmed the news in a blog post on September 12, 2012. According to the same blog post, you won’t find these Forefront products in shops after December 1, 2012. Above all, Microsoft also plans to change the name of its Forefront Online Protection for Exchange to Exchange Online Protection in order to highlight the product again.
Microsoft has already confirmed to its clients that it will continue to provide support for these discontinued products for a few more years. However, people using Forefront Identity Manager and Forefront Unified Access Gateway (UAG) don’t need to worry because Microsoft intends to continue both … at least for now. Many loyal clients took offense to this move by Microsoft. But Microsoft feels confident that it will be able to integrate and provide better anti-malware security for its various products, including Exchange Server 2013 and other upcoming ones.
