MessageLabs And Symantec Collaborate To Deliver Enhanced Anti-Spam Technology To Managed Email Security Customers
London, September 1, 2004 ‘ MessageLabs, the leading provider of managed email security services to businesses, and Symantec Corp. (NASDAQ: SYMC), the global leader in information security, today announced their collaboration whereby the companies plan to incorporate Symantec Brightmail Anti-Spam technology into the MessageLabs Anti-Spam Service to offer enhanced managed anti-spam services to organisations around the world. MessageLabs expects to deliver the new joint Anti-Spam Service to market in Q4 2004.
Under the agreement, MessageLabs plans to integrate Symantec Brightmail Anti-Spam technology alongside its own proprietary Skeptic’ predictive anti-spam technology, creating a highly effective and accurate, completely managed anti-spam solution. By combining Symantec’s anti-spam technology to its managed email security environment, enterprise customers worldwide will be able to leverage Symantec’s leading anti-spam technology and expertise in combating spam as part of a truly multi-layered solution.
“Spam affects almost all enterprises, creating legal liability problems, introducing security issues, draining network resources, and destroying productivity,” said Richi Jennings, lead analyst for the spam practice at Ferris Research, Inc. “Email-using organisations that are winning the war on spam use effective spam-filtering technology, often using several detection techniques. Managed or outsourced email security services are easy to set up, have a predictable cost of ownership, and make it easy to counter new threats.”
Symantec Brightmail Anti-Spam 6.0 combats spam using 17 filters, more than any other anti-spam technology and includes non-English language filters, reputation filtering, signatures, URL filters and call-to-action rules and is backed by Symantec’s Probe Network of over 2 million spam traps in 20 countries.
The combined solution will use a number of Symantec’s filtering technologies provided through its Symantec Logistics and Operations Centre, and focus MessageLabs’ development resources on combating new, unknown and dynamic spam threats in the ‘window of vulnerability’ before a signature is available. MessageLabs pioneered the use of multi-layered technology to combat email threats, launching the first Internet level email anti-virus service in Europe in 1999 that uses a combination of Skeptic predictive technology and third party anti-virus applications.
By offering Symantec Brightmail Anti-Spam technology together with Skeptic predictive technology managed at the Internet level as part of a complementary suite of email security and management services, MessageLabs will be able to provide businesses with multiple protections, easing the burden on in-house IT resources and offering higher levels of service and support. Additional benefits of the combined solution include improved email continuity, dictionary attack protection and disaster recovery, plus infrastructure advantages gained from stopping viruses, spam, Trojans and phishing scams at the Internet level, away from corporate networks.
‘Working with Symantec allows MessageLabs, a leader in managed anti-spam services today, to add an additional anti-spam technology across our global network. Combined, it will create an unsurpassed managed email security service for businesses of any size and in any industry and region who opt for the financial, technical and service level advantages of managed, proactive protection,’ said Mark Sunner, Chief Technology Officer, MessageLabs. ‘The collaboration will further solidify MessageLabs’ position as the leading provider of managed email security services for businesses worldwide.’
‘While email has become the communication tool of choice for businesses, we continue to see threats to email on the rise and spam consuming more than 60 percent of inboxes globally,’ said Enrique Salem, senior vice president of Network and Gateway Solutions at Symantec. ‘Symantec views managed services as an important delivery model for our solutions. We are pleased to be working with MessageLabs to deliver our industry-leading anti-spam technology to an expanded customer base.’
About MessageLabs
MessageLabs is the leading provider of managed email security services to businesses based on market share, according to the Yankee Group Security Solutions & Services, February 2004 Report. The company offers industry-leading managed Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam, Image Control and Content Control services to more than 8,500 businesses around the world to combat email threats before they reach corporate networks and without the need for additional hardware or software. Powered by a global network of data centres spanning four continents, MessageLabs scans tens of millions of emails each day on behalf of clients such as The British Government, The Bank of New York, Bertelsmann, CSC, Diageo, Orange, Random House, SC Johnson and StorageTek. The service is also available through more than 300 global channel partners, including BT, Cable & Wireless, CSC, IBM, MCI and Unisys. For more information on MessageLabs, please visit www.messagelabs.com.
About Symantec
Symantec is the global leader in information security providing a broad range of software, appliances and services designed to help individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and large enterprises secure and manage their IT infrastructure. Symantec’s Norton brand of products is the worldwide leader in consumer security and problem-solving solutions. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in more than 35 countries. More information is available at www.symantec.com.