Trend Micro named among leading anti-virus providers by Meta Group in METAspectrum

Secure Data, a member of the JSE-listed ERP.com Group, and the southern African distributor for Trend security software, today announced that the latter had been named by leading technology research and consulting firm Meta Group as among leading security companies offering anti-virus protection solutions for Global 2000 enterprise customers.

Several other industry findings and market predictions by Meta analysts indicate Trend Micro is already providing solutions in anticipation of customer needs.

The METAspectrum Anti-virus Market Evaluation, March 2003, examined the anti-virus market and what vendors would be expected to provide in order to meet the demands of Global 2000 companies.

"Antivirus defence is not the simple matter of installing software products," commented Peter Firstbrook, Global Networking Strategies Senior Analyst at Meta Group. "It requires active threat monitoring and continuously adaptive responses to new threats. Companies with innovative vision will continue to do well in this area."

Key findings from the Meta Group suggest Global 2000 companies are looking for:

* Vendors dedicated to anti-virus and security for large enterprises, with ongoing investment in R&D and a track record of product innovation.

* Leading products that can scale to protect tens of thousands of seats and operate in heterogeneous environments.

* Vendors with a global presence and excellent reputation for quality products, support, and service.

* Vendors with significant market share as an important indicator of the trust from other large companies.

Trend Micro has already achieved the following milestones:

* A history of continuous product and service innovation, including such industry firsts as: the first internet gateway solution, Trend Micro InterScan VirusWall in 1996; the first Web-based, centralised management solution, Trend Virus Control System in 1998, and the first Virus Response Service Level Agreement in 2002.

* Design of network-based enterprise products and services that simplify management and allow global scalability on a wide array of operating system and application platforms.

* Honours for Trend Micro's products and support services by organisations such as Microsoft, Frost & Sullivan, and Accenture, and publications such as SC Magazine, PC Magazine and Network World Magazine.

* Forty-one percent of the gateway anti-virus market (IDC, 2002), clearly distinguishing Trend Micro among enterprise-class customers such as Siemens, Seiko Epson, and The Bear Sterns Companies, Inc.

Meta analysts noted in the report that most IT organisations were still facing challenges, such as anti-virus for large storage systems, strategies for niche operating systems, and anti-spam solutions. To meet these needs, Trend Micro offers protection for network-based storage solutions from Network Appliance and EMC through its ServerProtect product line, and has a wide array of platform support for its products including operating systems such as Linux, Unix, Solaris and IBM S390. Furthermore, Trend Micro introduced Trend Micro Spam Prevention Service to block unproductive e-mail at the Internet gateway.

"Meta Group's findings validate the importance of our continued focus on our core competencies and our partner strategy," said David Rowe, Chief Marketing Officer, Trend Micro. "Our number one objective is to provide our customers with the best solutions and expertise that helps them manage every stage of the outbreak lifecycle, and we are pleased the Meta Group sees us as the leader in this area."

The report also cited a combination of Trend Micro's dominance of the gateway anti-virus market (Web and e-mail), unique outbreak lifecycle management approach, and focus on centralised management capabilities, which made Trend Micro one of the leaders in the enterprise anti-virus space.

For further information, please contact Dean Brazier at telephone (011) 258 7800; fax (011) 258 7888; e-mail deanb@sd.co.za.