Microsoft Forefront is a discontinued family of line-of-business security software by

Microsoft Corporation Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washingt ...

. Microsoft Forefront products are designed to help protect

computer network A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. The computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are ...

network servers In computing, a server is a piece of computer hardware or software (computer program) that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called " clients". This architecture is called the client–server model. Servers can provide vario ...

(such as

Microsoft Exchange Server Microsoft Exchange Server is a mail server and calendaring server developed by Microsoft. It runs exclusively on Windows Server operating systems. The first version was called Exchange Server 4.0, to position it as the successor to the related ...

and

Microsoft SharePoint Server SharePoint is a web-based collaborative platform that integrates natively with Microsoft Office. Launched in 2001, SharePoint is primarily sold as a document management and storage system, but the product is highly configurable and its usage v ...

) and individual devices. As of 2015, the only actively developed Forefront product is

Forefront Identity Manager Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager (FIM) is a state-based identity management software product, designed to manage users' digital identities, credentials and groupings throughout the lifecycle of their membership of an enterprise computer syste ...

Components

Forefront includes the following products: * Identity Manager: State-based identity management software product, designed to manage users' digital identities, credentials and groupings throughout the lifecycle of their membership of an enterprise computer system

Rebranded

* System Center Endpoint Protection: A business

antivirus software Antivirus software (abbreviated to AV software), also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware. Antivirus software was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the name. ...

product that can be controlled over the network, formerly known as ''Forefront Endpoint Protection'', ''Forefront Client Security'' and ''Client Protection''. * Exchange Online Protection: A

software as a service Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is con ...

version of ''Forefront Protect for Exchange Server'': Instead of installing a security program on the server, the customer re-routes its email traffic to the Microsoft online service before receiving them.

Discontinued

* Threat Management Gateway: Discontinued server product that provides three functions: Routing,

firewall Firewall may refer to: * Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts * Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spr ...

and

web cache A Web cache (or HTTP cache) is a system for optimizing the World Wide Web. It is implemented both client-side and server-side. The caching of multimedias and other files can result in less overall delay when browsing the Web. Parts of the sys ...

. Formerly called ''Internet Security and Acceleration Server'' or ''ISA Server''. * Unified Access Gateway: Discontinued server product that protects network assets by

encrypting In cryptography, encryption is the process of Code, encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can ...

all inbound access request from authorized users. Supports Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and

DirectAccess DirectAccess, also known as Unified Remote Access, is a VPN technology that provides intranet connectivity to client computers when they are connected to the Internet. Unlike many traditional VPN connections, which must be initiated and terminated ...

. Formerly called ''Intelligent Application Gateway''. * Server Management Console: Discontinued web-based application that enables management of multiple instances of Protection for Exchange, Protection for SharePoint and Microsoft Antigen from a single interface. * Protection for Exchange: A discontinued software product that detects viruses, spyware, and spam by integrating multiple scanning engines from security partners in a single solution to protect

Exchange Exchange may refer to: Physics *Gas exchange is the movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Places United States * Exchange, Indiana, an unincorporated community * ...

messaging environments. FPE provides an administration console that includes customizable configuration settings, filtering options, monitoring features and reports, and integration with the

Forefront Online Protection for Exchange Exchange Online Protection (EOP, formerly Forefront Online Protection for Exchange or FOPE) is a hosted e-mail security service, owned by Microsoft, that filters spam and removes computer viruses from e-mail messages. The service does not require ...

(FOPE) product. After installation, managing FPE on multiple Exchange servers can be done with the Protection Server Management Console. Additionally, FPE can be managed using Windows PowerShell, a command-line shell and task-based scripting technology that enables the automation of system administration tasks. * Protection for SharePoint: A discontinued product that protects

document libraries. It enforces rules that prevent documents containing malware, sensitive information, or out-of-policy content from being uploaded. Protection Server Management Console or

Windows PowerShell PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management program from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and the associated scripting language. Initially a Windows component only, known as Windows PowerShell, it was made open-so ...

can be used to manage Protection for SharePoint Server on multiple servers. * Security for Office Communications Server: Protects computers running

Microsoft Office Communications Server Skype for Business Server (formerly Microsoft Office Communications Server and Microsoft Lync Server) is real-time communications server software that provides the infrastructure for enterprise instant messaging, presence, VoIP, ad hoc and st ...

from malware. Formerly called ''Antigen for Instant Messaging''.Forefront for Office Communications Server
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History

The predecessor to the Forefront server protection products was the Antigen line of antivirus products created by Sybari Software. Sybari was acquired by Microsoft in 2005, and the first Microsoft-branded version of the product was called Microsoft Forefront Security for SharePoint (FSSP) Version 10. FSSP Version 10 supports Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 or Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services version 3, whereas FPSP (the last version of the product) supports Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 SP1, or Windows SharePoint Services version 3 SP1.

References

External links