Responding to demand from its customers for more hardware-based systems, Trend Micro introduced its new integrated messaging security appliance on Oct. 9, the final piece of the company's strategy to build devices to host each of its software products.

Dubbed the InterScan Messaging Security Appliance, the device promises to help companies protect their e-mail networks from outside threats such as viruses, spam and phishing attacks. The security appliance also offers content filtering capabilities to aid in data compliance management efforts and in reducing the loss of confidential corporate information over messaging systems.

The appliance represents the final device to be launched by Cupertino, Calif.-based Trend Micro as part of its effort to launch a hardware counterpart for each of its software product lines during 2006. The system offers the same security applications and policy-management tools as offered in the company's InterScan Messaging Security Suite, and also promises more consistent data throughput and redundancy rates that the company can guarantee for its software when running on customers' own hardware systems.

"There's definitely a trend toward appliances; software is still the primary purchase in most deals, but more and more customers are asking us for the hardware approach because the devices are much simpler to deploy and maintain," said Bob Hansmann, senior product marketing manager at Trend Micro. "Six months ago we launched our Web traffic monitoring appliance, and with this device we're adding tools to protect users from e-mail-borne malware at the gateway; between the two we feel customers can truly secure the gateway to the best extent possible."

The InterScan Messaging Security Appliance, which is priced starting at roughly $20,000, will support up to 25,000 users per device. Along with the anti-malware and content filtering tools, the system can be managed remotely via a Web-based console application.

Inside the box, Trend Micro promises dual-layer spam protection including its new Spam Prevention Solution. The security company's Network Reputation Services provide an initial layer of protection, verifying messages' IP addresses against its white hat database of trusted Web sites, and boasts a secondary dynamic reputation service that pledges to identify new sources of spam and phishing attacks to provide additional protection against emerging threats.

In addition to the ease of deployment, Trend Micro executives said that regulatory compliance efforts are also driving adoption of hardware-based systems, as companies seek technologies that provide higher levels of failsafe scanning capabilities. Keeping spam and other unwanted messages off corporate infrastructure frees companies from the need to store large amounts of unnecessary data, said Christine Drake, product marketing manager for Trend Micro.

"The double approach to reputation services is key in regards to compliance, because it stops the e-mail at the connection level and prevents companies from being forced to keep all this messaging content they don't want in their systems in the first place," Drake said. "By doing filtering in this way at the IP level, even if a message is from a spoofed domain address, it can't hide the IP address; this allows the device to catch 80 percent of the bad messages at the first layer, and the rest are sent to a composite scanning engine for more examination."

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