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Q. What is "Stirling"?
A.
Forefront codename “Stirling” is an integrated security suite that delivers comprehensive protection across endpoint, application servers, and the edge that is easier to manage and control.
It includes:
Central management console for security configuration and enterprise-wide visibility
Next-generation endpoint protection: Forefront Client Security (FCS)
Next-generation messaging and collaboration protection: Forefront Security for Exchange Server (FSE) and Forefront Security for SharePoint (FSSP)
Next-gen edge protection: Internet Security & Acceleration Server, to be renamed Threat Management Gateway (“Forefront TMG”)
Q. What is being released in Forefront codename "Stirling" beta 2?
A.
Forefront codename "Stirling" Beta 2 has enhancements to the protection technologies in the next-generation Forefront products and incremental additions to the management and reporting function in the management console.
Forefront codename “Stirling”
Central policy management for FCS, FSE, FOSE, and FSSP
Reporting services and portal with SQL Reporting Server for TMG and other reports
Enterprise Security Assessment and Remediation:
* Know your security state in real time
* Investigate and remediate security issues
* Correlated attack detection, integrated across endpoints, messaging and collaboration servers, and the network protection Forefront products combined with Active Directory monitoring
* Coordinated responses to address attacks
Next-Generation Forefront Client Security
Next-generation antimalware (AM) engine
Protects the client beyond AM by:
* Detecting buffer overruns inbound to the client
* Integration with NAP with an integrated system health agent (SHA)
Forefront Security for Exchange
Premium on-premise antispam protection
Premium cloud antispam protection with Forefront Online Security for Exchange (FOSE)
Fully integrated with the central management console in the “Stirling” suite.
Deep integration with Microsoft Exchange 2007 and 2010
Forefront Security for SharePoint
Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG)
Q. What value does “Stirling” deliver to customers?
A.
As an integrated security suite, “Stirling” delivers comprehensive protection across your IT environment that makes security easier to manage and control.
By delivering simplified management and critical visibility into threats, vulnerabilities, and configuration risks, Forefront codename “Stirling” helps you protect your business with greater confidence and efficiency.
Forefront codename “Stirling” integrates with your existing infrastructure software, such as Active Directory, System Center, and Network Access Protection, for better protection and reduced complexity.
Q. Isn’t this just a management console for the Forefront products?
A.
“Stirling” does provide central management for the Forefront products, but as an integrated security suite, Forefront codename “Stirling” is much more than that. It includes next-generation Forefront protection technologies with an innovative technology that shares and correlates security events from different Forefront products and third-party technology partners to generate an assessment of a situation enabling administrators to investigate and remediate security events.
Q. What is the benefit to the central management console in "Stirling"?
A.
Many IT administrators find it difficult to understand whether or not their organization is secure. There are multiple consoles for gathering information and a lot of expert analysis needed to understand the data and where threats exist. Because the security event is often discovered after the fact, it’s difficult to take proactive action to keep the organization secure.
Through a central management console, IT professionals can conduct all administrative functions across endpoint, messaging and collaboration servers, and network edge: from configuration and signature updates to reporting and alerting. The central management console in “Stirling” suite makes it much easier to configure settings and also reduces the risk of mis-configurations. Through a single dashboard, it provides real-time visibility into threats, vulnerabilities, and configuration risks across the organization.
Q. What’s the licensing and pricing model? How much will Stirling cost?
A.
Customers will be able to buy Forefront “Stirling” as a suite of integrated products. Individual Forefront products will also continue to be available for purchase. Additional details on the licensing and pricing of “Stirling” will be available at a later date.
Q. Will Microsoft continue to sell the Forefront products individually when the final version of "Stirling" ships?
A.
Yes. Individual Forefront products will also continue to be available for purchase. Customers under subscription or software assurance for existing Forefront products will have rights to the future version of that product. Customers purchasing Forefront products today will also have an easy migration path to “Stirling.”
Q. Who are the target customers?
A.
Forefront codename “Stirling” is targeted at any mid-size to large organizations interested in a solution that delivers comprehensive protection while simplifying management and enabling critical visibility into threats, vulnerabilities, and configuration risks.
Q. Will “Stirling” support interoperability with third-party vendors?
A.
Yes. Microsoft is actively working with third-party partners to interoperate with "Stirling" suite by sharing security state assessments. Through the sharing of security event information, partners can enhance the effectiveness of their security technologies and better protect customer IT environments. IT departments will benefit from Microsoft’s integrated management console that centralizes the information gathered and shared and actions taken within the network.
Q. Which vendors will Stirling interoperate with?
A.
Microsoft is currently engaging with SEM/SIEM, IPS/IDS, Information Protection and Vulnerability Assessment partners for the sharing of security information across various types of protection technologies. This enables customers to get a comprehensive view of enterprise security state as reported by multi-vendor security solutions. More information is available on the partner site.
Q. How will existing or new Forefront customers migrate to Stirling?
A.
Customers under subscription or software assurance for existing Forefront products will have rights to the future version of that product. Customers purchasing Forefront products today in the place of third-party products will also have an easy migration path to “Stirling.” Customers migrating from FCS 1.0 will be able to do an in-place upgrade of the client agents. There will be documentation to help customers deploy "Stirling" management console servers to enable parallel migrations and ease client migrations from FCS 1.0 to FCS 2.0.
Q. How will the public beta of “Stirling” be supported?
Q. Does "Stirling" support Windows 7 clients?
A.
Yes. FCS 2.0 beta 2 is supported on Windows 7 beta 1. Currently we have customers in the Technology Adoption Program running FCS 2.0 on Windows 7 client.
Q. What is the integration with System Center Configuration Manager or Windows Server Update Services?
A.
“Stirling” integrates easily into a customer’s existing environment. It is designed to work with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and System Center Configuration Manager for distributing agents and definition updates to client computers.
Q. What is the integration with System Center Operations Manager?
A.
“Stirling” is built on System Center Operations Manager as the main communication channel between the management console and the protected assets to set policies, execute tasks, and report events. Customers with existing SCOM deployments will be able to easily install “Stirling” on top of this existing infrastructure.
Q. Will “Stirling” require its own SC Operations Manager infrastructure or can it use an existing one?
A.
Customers that already have a SCOM infrastructure in place will be able to use that existing infrastructure to deploy “Stirling.”
Q. Will “Stirling” integrate with other System Center infrastructure offerings?
A.
In addition to System Center Operations Manager, “Stirling” will integrate with System Center Configuration Manager for distributing agents and definition updates to client computers.
Q. How does “Stirling” integrate with Network Access Protection (NAP)?
A.
“Stirling” natively integrates with Network Access Protection for automatic enforcement and remediation of all security parameters of clients. This integration helps better protect the environment and ensure ongoing compliance.
Q. Will “Stirling” integrate with Active Directory?
A.
“Stirling” will be able to use computer and user information in Active Directory and will be able to target policies at Active Directory containers.
Q. Can I use “Stirling” to manage my existing security products?
A.
“Stirling” will manage the next version of FCS, FSE, FSSP, and ISA Server (to be renamed TMG).
