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Redmond-based Microsoft Corp has announced that it is acquiring the "intellectual property and technology assets" of Bucharest-based GeCad software. According to Microsoft, the "acquisition of GeCAD’s technology will help secure customers by providing antivirus solutions for Microsoft products and services." Microsoft has also stated that, "in addition to developing new solutions, Microsoft will use the GeCAD engineering expertise and technology to enhance the Windows platform and extend support for third-party antivirus vendors so they can provide customers with increasingly secure and comprehensive levels of virus protection."

“The opportunity to integrate GeCAD technology into Microsoft’s future antivirus efforts is a big step not only for us but for the entire Romanian I.T. industry,” said Radu Georgescu, President of GeCAD. “Microsoft’s choice of a Romanian technology attests to the tremendous software development potential in this country.” Apparently the politicians concur. H.E. Michael Guest, U.S. Ambassador to Romania asserted, "I'm delighted at this important acquisition by a first-class American company of a new technology produced here in Romania. This new step highlights even more Romania's clear potential in information technology -- an area in which Romanian students, researchers and entrepreneurs excel. I hope this will be the first of many more partnerships between U.S. and Romanian companies in this and other fields, aimed at broadening and deepening our bilateral trade and investment relationship."

GeCad's modular approach has allowed it to easily port their solutions to a variety of operating systems. RAV AntiVirus is best known for its mail server product family, which runs on a wide range of Unix, Linux, and BSD platforms. RAV also provides Windows-based protection and a line of free plug-ins to protect instant messaging applications such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and ICQ.

In a letter to customers, GeCad noted, "that we will continue to maintain and provide the same high level of service that we have had in the past. Technical support for the product will continue to be provided both by GeCAD and its authorised distributors. In addition, you will continue to receive virus signature updates, alerts and advisories." They also noted that the company's website, www.ravantivirus.com would continue to be operational.

This is not Microsoft's first foray into antivirus protection. In the days of DOS 6.2 and Windows 3.x, Microsoft introduced the ill-fated MSAV acquired from Central Point Software. Though not particularly noted for its virus detection capabilities, MSAV nonetheless achieved notriety by detecting the then newly introduced Windows 95 operating system as a virus.