BigFix to cease support of free patch/update advisory service

The service, which dates back to the early 1990s, is one of the longest-running free IT security software services of its type and is actively used by many tens of thousands of PC users worldwide.Geoff Sweeney, CTO with behavioural analysis IT security firm Tier-3, said that the effective closure of the free consumer version of Fixlet Central is a sign of the changing times in the IT security world.  IT security threats are becoming increasingly complex, and the number of general Windows applications in common usage is also increasing. Clearly these factors have taken their toll at BigFix, and added to the companys cost of offering a free service.  As IT security issues become even more complex, I predict the withdrawal of more free security applications of this type. Its a shame, but the bottom line is that computer users will eventually have to start paying realistic prices for their protection. According to Sweeney, pay-for IT security services have long been the norm in the business sector.I also suspect there are a lot of business PC users who have the free edition of the BigFix client installed on their computers. Whilst they review their ongoing IT security needs, I strongly advise them to also to look at installing behavioural analysis software on their machines which do not require the endless cycle of patching and updates, to cope with the rising flood of malware and security attacks, he said.For more on the withdrawal of the free consumer service from BigFix:http://help.bigfix.com/cgi-bin/kbdirect.pl?id=9For more on Tier-3:http://www.tier-3.com