Forefront 'Stirling' Debuts

The Apr. 2008 release of the first beta of the Forefront “Stirling” security product gives customers a chance to evaluate Microsoft’s planned integrated security product for clients, servers, and network edge. Expected to ship in 2009, Stirling will deliver capabilities comparable to today’s Forefront products for computer and application server security, as well as Microsoft’s firewall and remote access software.

Combining Computer, Application, and Edge Security

Stirling delivers new versions of Forefront Client Security, Forefront Security for Exchange Server, Forefront Security for SharePoint, and ISA Server (which has been renamed to Forefront Threat Management Gateway). Organizations will be able to install a subset of these components on specific servers to play specific roles (e.g., firewall, Exchange virus filtering). Missing from the Apr. 2008 beta is Forefront for Communications Server, although that should be available by the time Stirling ships.

Stirling provides a central management console from which customers can define corporate security policies, configure the relevant Forefront components, and ensure compliance to those policies. The console includes analysis and reporting tools to monitor security state in real time and to help administrators identify historical trends or correlate threat information across multiple devices.