Hey, this one for all the companies out there. Particularly, their PCs, and the administrators who manage them. Coming this Monday, there’s going to be a new, and free, search engine that will identify unfamiliar software applications and executables found on any computer running the Microsoft operating system.

According to Bit9’s website, corporate users can download a utility from in there, besides tapping into the firm’s 4-terabyte database at http://fileadvisor.bit9.com. The Cambridge, Massachussetts-based Bit9 says that its database holds approximately 25 million unique files and 250 million records to source and identify the software. Bit9 expects to triple the data the end of the year. Bit9 says that it collects and catalogues file data on commercial software and drivers from the web, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Software Reference Library, IBM, and other resources.

Unknown applications or executables are identified in the database by a "cryptographic hash, a mathematical algorithm that runs across the content of the file," Bit9 Inc. vice president and co-founder John Hanratty, who also co-founded Synernetics, acquired by 3Com, and Agile Networks, scooped up by 3Com, was quoted as saying by TechWeb News. "Any virus worth its chops will come in and rename itself as a legitimate name, for example, a file system."

FileAdvisor provides details on the file originator and the commercial software package it’s contained in. Mr Hanratty said the utility uses the cryptographic hash because it’s common for malicious code to change its name so it appears harmless to the users. Bit9 says it also will introduce the ParityCenter service to integrate with Bit9 Parity. ParityCenter relies on identifying malware, spyware, worms, and viruses by identifying signatures and behavioural patterns.

While it’s important to monitor unwanted software, IT professionals also "want the ability to control unauthorised and unlicensed software," he said."They’re spending as much money in virus and worm protection, as they are to clean up unauthorised utilities."

Bit9 says that its Parity features a powerful utility known as Find File that performs network-wide, on-demand queries to easily locate all instances of any executable across customers’ infrastructure. "Enterprises have a holistic view of what

has happened on their infrastructure, easily answering questions for customers who need to know where executables are on their infrastructure, when and where they first arrived, when they were first executed, and who has executed them," Bit9 had said.at the launch of Version 2.0 of its Parity endpoint security solution.

Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen on Saturday inaugurated the manufacturing facility of Nokia, the world’s largest mobile communications firm, in Sriperumbudur near Chennai. The unit is Nokia’s 15th manufacturing facility globally. The unit will be the only one of its kind to manufacture both mobile devices and network infrastructure equipment in India.

Commending Nokia for building the factory in a record time of 23 weeks from the time of ground-breaking, Mr Vanhanen said it was a perfect example of the good cooperation between Finland and India and would ultimately benefit both countries. Finland was a small country with a small home market, he said.

The opening of the factory in India was important for Finland and the Finnish economy. For India, the supply of mobile handsets and network equipment by domestic production was just as beneficial.

Praising India for its determination to develop its capabilities in science, information technology and telecommunications, Mr Vanhanen pointed out that India had in recent years made great efforts to improve the economic and regulatory environment for foreign investments.

Jorma Ollila, chairman and CEO, Nokia said India was now among the top five telecom markets in the world.