Called MTA (Managed Threat Analysis), the service will be sold through Symantec's Managed Security Services business.

MTA customers get access to Symantec Global Services' Security Response analysts, who will review sample malware or other suspicious code submitted by the customer and deliver an analysis report for the organization within 96 hours.

"It's more than just confirming or denying if an organization has been hit by malware or the target of an attack," said Mike Mulville, senior director of product management for Symantec Managed Security Services.

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"While organizations may already have protection in place, they may require a much deeper level of understanding about a particular threat. This service, available for both Symantec and non-Symantec customers, provides custom protection and guidance on complex attacks, allowing organizations to understand what happened and what they need to do."

The offering by Symantec, which has placed a strong emphasis on expanding the services component of its business, fits in with the overall growth of the managed security market.

Read more here about Symantec's managed services combats botnet attacks.

Analyst firms such as Forrester Research and Gartner report the market will see a substantial an increase over 2006. The market is highly fragmented however, with players ranging from Symantec to VeriSign to SecureWorks.

With MTA, the custom report will detail the anatomy of the threat, its impact, the damage caused or information breach, as well as any recommendations or tools to safely remove the threat from an organization's environment.

Additionally, customers can be briefed by Symantec experts if they have further questions, Mulville said.

"By utilizing Symantec Managed Threat Analysis, customers will on a 24/7 basis better understand the implications of a breach, reduce investigation time associated with security incidents, and be better positioned to comply with regulations," he added.

MTA pricing is based on per incident—$75,000 - or an annual subscription—$300,000. With the purchase of MTA, customers will also receive a free annual subscription to DeepSight, a security alert service that provides customers with warnings about active attacks.

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