At least for now, Microsoft's move into the antivirus market is "much ado about nothing," Symantec CEO and Chairman John Thompson said this week in an exclusive interview with CRN at the security vendor's Enterprise Partner Summit in Chicago.

"Until they have an offering in the marketplace, until we know what it is targeted toward, we're not going to run around doing high-speed hand wringing at Symantec," Thompson said.

Microsoft's plan to offer a fee-based antivirus solution after its acquisition last month of Romanian antivirus company GeCAD prompted some industry observers to question the future of antivirus vendors such as Symantec. But Thompson shook off any doubts, noting that security is more than antivirus software; it requires an integrated set of technologies at each tier of a customer's network.

"The fact Microsoft now has antivirus is interesting, but until they do something with it in a way that allows it to truly solve the threat problems of today, it is nothing more than a hollow promise to the marketplace," he said.

The strength of Symantec's brand in the enterprise is strong enough to withstand Microsoft's antivirus intentions, but it needs to be cautious as to the software giant's plans in the consumer/low-end market, Thompson said, at a conference dinner with partners.