Microsoft showed off Windows 8 this week at its BUILD conference and revealed quite a bit about what we can expect. Among the many revelations was the news that Windows Defender will be expanded to offer full protection against all sorts of malware, on par with Microsoft Security Essentials, which PCMag analyst Michael Muchmore said "obviates the need for a separate AV program."

But does it really? I asked experts from over a dozen major security companies and got a wide variety of responses.

Some Vendors Unworried

"McAfee supports Microsoft's efforts to make its operating systems more secure," said Gary Davis, director of consumer product marketing at McAfee. "We are working closely with them on several of the Windows 8 security enhancements, and we expect that Windows 8 will help make McAfee's products even more effective. While antivirus on the desktop is an important element of protecting users, protection against proliferating threats must also include security for applications, operating systems, websites, Web applications, the cloud, and mobile devices, among others.  We believe the global need for security is unmet and only going to grow, and that the world is inherently more secure with a robust choice of security vendors and technology options."

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure Corporation, thinks it may not matter all that much. "By the time Windows 8 has a significant marketshare," said Hypponen, "it might very well be that we see more need for antivirus on platforms like Android than Windows. Remember, XP still has almost 50% market share, more than 10 years after it was released. And Android will become the most common operating system on the planet sooner or later."

Beth Jordan, vice president of NorthAmerican Communications for AVG, thinks Microsoft's move poses no threat to third-party security vendors. "Consumers have always shown a strong affinity for third party software when it comes to security tools. It is these niche companies that drive the continuous innovation. When it comes to security consumers want choices and brands they can use with confidence and trust."

Alex Eckelberry, vice president and general manager for Security Software at GFI Software, is equally unworried. "There will always be people who will opt for a free product," said Eckelberry, "and there are those who will prefer the enhanced functionality and technical support of a paid product. The fact that a free product is now baked into the OS will certainly raise eyebrows among antivirus companies (and potentially antitrust litigators) and it may have an impact on user purchasing behavior, but a pre-installed antivirus product is a far cry from the type of robust solutions you see today."

He went on to observe that "there is an entire financial ecosystem based around antivirus. For example, 'tech benches' (Geeksquad, etc.) make a handsome profit on selling users antivirus." Eckelberry concluded, "In the end, all a user needs is one bad infection to change their mind about their antivirus protection."

In the opinion of John Gable, head of consumer products for Check Point Software Technologies, Microsoft hasn't gone far enough. "Any improvement in security is a step in the right direction," said Gable. "Malware is fast evolving, and consumers need more protection. However, one critical area that Windows is still lacking… is a powerful and easy-to-use two-way firewall. Currently, Windows only has an active inbound firewall on by default. While users can turn on their outbound firewall, they will quickly be overwhelmed by alerts. Minimum security requires an effective inbound and outbound firewall that works silently in the background to stop Internet attacks at the front door and catch thieves on the way out."

Not surprisingly, Check Point's ZoneAlarm Antivirus + Firewall includes precisely this kind of protection.