Projects with code names such as Sapphire and Sideshow may not conjure up visions of futuristic technology, but they promise to deliver advancements in how computers process and secure information, the head of Microsoft's research division said during a visit to San Francisco last week. Armed with a long history in software development, engineers at Microsoft Research are working to invent new ways to secure PCs and digital content and create new applications that make computers easier to interact with, its senior vice president of research, Rick Rashid, said in an interview.

Somewhat removed from the divisions at Microsoft that produce revenue-generating products, Microsoft Research is where company engineers experiment with new techniques in software and application development. Although some of its work admittedly goes unused, Rashid says, a variety of projects do find their way into company products such as the Office application suite and Microsoft's flagship Windows operating system. For example, Web services security standards now being integrated into Microsoft's.Net products are the result of lab projects, he said. So are elements of the digital rights management technology to be included in a future server product from Microsoft.