MessageLabs and Scansafe Announce Strategic Partnership To Provide Integrated Managed Security For Both Email And Web
LONDON, UK, August 2nd, 2005 MessageLabs, the leading provider of messaging security and management services to businesses, and ScanSafe, the pioneer and leading provider of managed web security, today announced a strategic partnership to address the growing threat of malware, spyware and inappropriate content transmitted in web traffic through a fully managed, hosted solution.
Under the terms of the agreement, MessageLabs will add ScanSafe’s patented managed web security technology to its portfolio of managed security services and provide comprehensive protection against both email and web-borne threats for businesses around the world. The partnership further strengthens the collaborative relationship between the companies, whereby MessageLabs is now a technology partner and strategic investor in ScanSafe.
“There is an understandably growing concern over web security among the world’s chief information and security officers,” said Ben White, CEO of MessageLabs. “Spyware can steal sensitive corporate or personal information, disable mission-critical software and disrupt information systems. We plan to extend the protection and control we provide our clients at the email inbox to their web browser as well. In ScanSafe we have found the ideal partner, and clear market and technology leader. The combined offering will give unrivalled protection for enterprises from the increasingly convergent threats within email and web traffic.”
ScanSafe’s analysis, mined from the billions of monthly web requests processed by its managed service over the past year, shows consistent increases in web threats, with a 17% rise in threats per user and a 13% increase in the variety of different threats identified quarter on quarter. The growth of spyware infections has been even faster, with spyware now accounting for over 20% of the all the web based threats stopped by ScanSafe each month. “We are seeing increasing demand for integrated managed service offerings in the market,” said Eldar Tuvey, CEO of ScanSafe. “MessageLabs has an extensive global footprint and unparalleled track-record of delivering trusted email solutions. Our partnership with MessageLabs enables its customers to add web security in a completely managed environment from a single vendor. Unlike the majority of web anti-virus and anti-spyware products that scan desktops for infection, the combined offering eliminates threats before they reach and infect a network.”
“The single-minded focus, expertise and scale of managed email sanitization services brings immediate value to businesses by solving a difficult problem that they no longer have time for: fighting email pollution,” noted Andrew Jaquith, Senior Analyst, Yankee Group. “Web traffic filtering represents a next logical step for managed services. Business will increasingly look to specialized vendors to help them solve problems associated with web-based malware, spyware and inappropriate content.”
Investment bank N.M. Rothschild is one of several hundred companies who already benefit from both managed services. “We had already protected against the threat from SMTP through MessageLabs.
ScanSafe gave us protection from HTTP and FTP threats,” said Edmund Comber, IT Director of N.M. Rothschild. “A managed service is simple – switch on and immediately redirect. There is no software or appliances to keep updated, and there is no negative effect on performance. The threats are eliminated before they hit the network. A big advantage is the absolutely transparent cost across our sites.” By offering both email and web security across the MessageLabs global platform, providing a single web management console and 24/7 service and support worldwide, customers will now be able to address a wider range of security issues through a single and fully managed service.
MessageLabs managed service approach provides organizations with a complete managed security solution, without the hassle, inconvenience or additional cost of traditional software or hardware solutions. These services ensure the integrity of electronic communications, helping businesses to manage and reduce risk while securing their critical infrastructure and business information.
About MessageLabs
MessageLabs is the world’s leading provider of messaging security and management services with more than 12,000 clients and offices in eight countries. For more information, please visit www.messagelabs.com.
About ScanSafe
ScanSafe pioneered managed web security and is the market leader, currently processing over two billion web requests each month through its Outbreak IntelligenceTM heuristics engine. Operating at the Internet level, ScanSafe provides fully managed web virus scanning, spyware screening and web usage policy enforcement. For more information, please visit www.scansafe.com.