systems, creating greater flexibility, efficiency and utilization. When
Microsoft flip-flops Microsoft announced its decision last
fall, it said that it believed this was
“the best balance” between customer
choice and security, given that security risks exist in virtualized environ-
on Vista virtualization ments, where hardware virtualization
technology could be exploitable by
malware.
Some in the industry dismiss
COMPANY WILL NOT ENABLE CHEAPER VERSIONS FOR USE IN VMS Microsoft’s stated security concerns,
saying the decision has nothing to
By Peter Galli before, but the feedback we received do with security and everything to do
Microsoft is flip-flopping on was that end users should be able to with the vendor trying to enforce its
its on-again, off-again deci- make educated choices on security platform lock-in.
siontoallow cheaper versions rather than Microsoft making those “Switching operating systems is
of Windows Vista to be used choices for them via the End-User almost impossible for most users
in virtualized machines. License Agreement,” the spokes- because many applications are only
The Redmond, Wash., company person said. available on Windows,” said one user,
was set to announce June 20 that But something happened that whodidn’t want tobe identified. “With
the lower-cost Vista Home Basic and resulted in a 180-degree turnaround virtualization, you could move to the
Vista Home Premium versions could in Microsoft’s position, with a com- operating system of your choice with-be used in virtual machines and that pany spokesperson telling e Week out having to give up your old applica-it had lifted its prohibition tions—you just run them
on the use of information 180 degrees on virtualiza tion in a virtual machine. That’s
rights management, digital the real reason Microsoft
rights management and its In a matter of hours, Microsoft reversed doesn’t want you virtual-BitLocker data encryption ser- an earlier decision to enable all versions izing Vista.”
vice in a VM. of Vista to work on VMs: Another agreed. “
Micro-In fact, a spokesperson for soft is perfectly happy to
the Vista team told eWeek What a Microsoft spokesperson said June 18: have you run Vista in a
in a prebriefing June 18 “We still believe that security is an issue, virtual machine, so long as
that greater awareness of just as we did before, but the feedback we you’ve paid them at least
the potential security issues received was that end users should be able $300 for it,” said the user,
around virtualization and to make educated choices on security rather who also wanted to remain
customer pressure on Micro- than Microsoft making those choices for anonymous. “Never attri-soft to offer greater choice them via the End-User License Agreement.” bute to security that which
were the key motivators for What a Microsoft spokesperson said June 19: can be explained by greed,
the decision to allow the virtu- “Microsoft has reassessed the Windows in the case of Microsoft.”
alization of all Vista SKUs. virtualization policy and decided that we will Among those critical
Things have changed dur- maintain the original policy announced last of the current decision is
ing the past six months, the fall.” Ben Rudolph, director of
spokesperson said, with an corporate communications
Source: e WEEK reporting
increasing awareness of the at Parallels, an SWsoft com-security issues associated pany in Renton, Wash., who
with hardware virtualization, and with late on June 19 that “Microsoft has said in a blog post that this strategy
OEMs shipping machines with hard- reassessedthe Windows virtualization could hold back users who embrace
ware virtualization turned off to reduce policy and decided that we will main- cutting-edge technologies such as vir-the attack surface for the vast majority tain the original policy announced tualization.
of customers who do not currently use last fall.” “This means they won’t upgrade to
virtualization. That means that only the high-end Vista and that Microsoft has effectively
“We are also responding to virtual- Business and Ultimate versions of lost an upgrade customer in the case
ization enthusiast, partner, press and Vista will be enabled for virtualiza- of Windows PCs, or an entirely new
analyst feedback. We still believe that tion, which essentially lets a single customer with Mac and Linux users,”
security is an issue, just as we did machine run multiple operating Rudolph said. ´
