McAfee announced that its products will run on the Windows Server 2008 operating system.

"McAfee is committed to ensuring the security of its customers on all platforms, including Windows Server 2008," said Rees Johnson, senior vice president of product management, McAfee.

Network Access Control
McAfee will support Windows Server 2008 in several products, starting in March with a beta release of McAfee Network Access Control 3.0. The beta will support Microsoft's Network Access Protection (NAP), a policy enforcement platform for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 that helps protect a private network through enforcement of corporate policies on systems joining that network.

"McAfee Network Access Control offers extensive health check information for systems entering networks, as well as centralized management through our ePolicy Orchestrator. With more than 600 health checks and the ability to create custom checks, McAfee Network Access Control adds significantly to Microsoft's native NAP technology. McAfee along with Microsoft creates a winning access control system," Johnson said. McAfee showcased McAfee Network Access Control's NAP integration and library of PC health checks at the Windows Server 2008 launch event.

Secure Virtualization
Server virtualization will be built into Windows Server 2008, enabling customers to reduce cost, optimize their infrastructure and increase hardware utilization and server availability. Customers adopting server virtualization will demand strong protection. McAfee VirusScan Enterprise supports Windows Server 2008 Server Core, a critical component of Microsoft's Hyper-V architecture.

In addition, a beta release of McAfee VirusScan Enterprise designed to protect virtualized servers delivered in March will add unique capabilities for Windows Server virtualization and also for Microsoft Virtual PC images. VirusScan Enterprise Advanced Server will be able to scan for malware and also keep virus definition files up to date even on dormant virtual machine images so the systems are protected when they are turned on.

McAfee will also add support for Windows Server 2008 to other McAfee products, including VirusScan Enterprise 8.5. An update specifically designed to protect Windows Server 2008 will be available in March.

"Today's IT customers are looking for increased dependability, scalability and security features," said Bob Visse, senior director for Windows Server Marketing Group at Microsoft Corp. "McAfee is an essential component for customers seeking a complete network access protection strategy. Customers can achieve world-class security protection with McAfee's technology built on Windows Server 2008."