SecureData, a member of the JSE-listed ERP.com Group, and the southern African distributor for Trend Micro security software, today announced that West Coast Labs has published an independent evaluation of competing small and medium business (SMB) client-server security suites and determined that Trend Micro's Worry-Free Security product - Client Server Messaging Security for SMB 3.0 - offers the first class protection with low administrative efforts, most desirable for small business with little or no IT staff.
West Coast Labs, an independent organisation, which tests and validates the functionality and performance of security products and which also developed the Checkmark certification system into one of the world's foremost certification programs, conducted a comparative assessment of three SMB-focused solutions that included Trend Micro's Client Server Messaging Security for SMB 3.0.
The review evaluated each solution's ease-of-use and its ability to automatically prevent, protect, and cleanup following virus outbreaks with potentially little or no IT intervention. Each product was graded based on the following criteria:
* Usability in the areas of installation, management, and intuitiveness
* Ability to detect and defend against known and unknown future malware threats
* Clean and repair infected clients, with little or no IT intervention
* Assess and identify computers vulnerable to specific malware attack
West Coast Labs published its results in a report entitled, 'Evaluating Client-Server SMB Solutions'. Based on its findings from the test methodologies employed, Trend Micro's Worry-Free Security offered features best tailored for businesses with little or no IT staff.
"At the time of testing, it is the only solution that has built-in automatic capabilities to monitor and prevent propagation of a new virus before a signature file is available, and to identify computers that have a system vulnerability that can be exploited by this new threat," commented West Coast Labs in the report. "Given that most SMBs don't have 24/7 IT security staff, this automatic protection capability should help to ensure business uptime within such organisations."
Hundreds of Trend Micro channel partners have echoed the results published by West Coast Labs in addition to observing the value that Worry-Free Security provides in protecting their margin and improving customer satisfaction. In fact, channel sales of Trend Micro's Worry-Free Security products-which include Client Server Messaging Security for SMB 3.0 and Client Server Security for SMB 3.0-have increased roughly 60% quarter over quarter (Q12006/Q12005).
"Far too often security vendors emphasise the threat more than the quality and satisfaction expected in any IT product," added Greg Clift, president, PCNet Inc. "Trend Micro's Worry-Free Security is to our organisation more than simply a tagline. It actually addresses our customers' wishes to have a dependable IT security solution that will keep them protected without dedicating time to manage it or even unnecessary support costs."
Trend Micro first announced its Worry-Free Security initiative in November 2005 specifically designed to offload the time and expertise required to protect against viruses, worms, spyware, spam, trojans, and the loss of confidential information. Acting as a virtual 24x7 security staff, these solutions assess, prevent, protect, and clean up attacks before they become costly problems. In doing so, they help eliminate numerous security and business concerns that smaller organisations typically face.
"Over the last few quarters, Trend Micro's Worry-Free Security solutions have proven their merit by helping SMBs adopt a straightforward security solution that actually enables them to focus on their business rather than IT issues," concluded Steve Quane, general manager of Trend Micro Small and Medium Business operations.
"Our channel partners recognised the value in all-in-one security solutions that requires zero administration while providing automatic protection against zero-day threats, and have therefore been very receptive to the our Worry-Free Security initiative."
For further information, please contact Dean Brazier at telephone +27 (011) 257 8600; fax +27 (011) 257 8699; e-mail deanb@securedata.co.za.
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Trend Micro, Inc is a leader in network anti-virus and Internet content security software and services. The Tokyo-based corporation has business units worldwide. Trend Micro products are sold through corporate and value-added resellers.
SecureData
SecureData, an ERP.com company, is Africa's premier IT security solution provider. SecureData's solutions incorporate anti-virus and content security, endpoint security, network security, intrusion prevention and authentication and identity management. SecureData's comprehensive "Managed Security Services" include design, audit, implementation, vulnerability assessment, outsourcing and hosting. SecureData distributes, sells and supports category leading IT security products to the public, corporate and SME sectors throughout Africa as well as products and services to the SOHO and consumer markets through partnerships with ISPs. As well as being the sole distributor in Sub-Saharan Africa for Trend Micro, SecureData is the Sub-Saharan African distributor for US-based TippingPoint Technologies as well as for AirDefense, Application Security, eEye, Network Engines, Precise Biometrics, Rocket Software, RSA Security, St Bernard and Websense. For more information, visit SecureData at www.securedata.co.za.
ERP.com
ERP.com is a JSE-listed company focused on the implementation, integration and management of enterprise applications in an e-business environment. For more information, visit ERP.com at www.erpcom.co.za.
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