Websense, (NASDAQ: WBSN) today unveiled the next generation of Websense on-demand security services -- Websense Hosted Email Security and Websense Hosted Web Security. The latest version combines new ease-of-use features with better protection from emerging Web 2.0 and converged threats with increased Web threat intelligence from the latest Websense URL database and Websense ThreatSeeker Network.
Web security intelligence is a critical piece of effective e-mail security because today more than 90% of unwanted e-mail contains embedded URLs that direct users to Websites compromised with malicious code and other malware. Websense Hosted Email Security services protect organisations from these threats with intelligence from the Websense ThreatSeeker Network. When an attacker attempts to send a malicious link or spam through e-mail, Websense Hosted Email Security cleans the message in the cloud before it reaches its destination. Additionally, if a user attempts to click on a malicious link in an e-mail or other application, Websense prevents the user from accessing the malicious Website.
"A growing number of cybercriminals leverage blended attacks -- the use of links to malicious Web sites and spam sites in e-mail -- blurring the lines between Web and e-mail security," said Brian Burke, program director, security products, IDC. "Effective detection requires Web security expertise, and we expect to see more organisations adopt security solutions that are able to protect from these converged threats."
Websense cloud-based security solutions are now even easier to deploy and use, featuring a completely redesigned user interface and a single sign-on for both Web and e-mail that IT managers can access at any time and from anywhere. Quarantine management in Websense Hosted Email Security has also been enhanced, allowing end-users to easily view blocked e-mail, release messages, and whitelist or blacklist senders.
Analyst firm IDC forecasts that the hosted Web security market will grow 49%(1) and the hosted email security market will grow 32%(2) through 2012. To stay ahead of growing demand, Websense continues to augment its hosted infrastructure and now has 10 data centres, more than 3,500 customers and a million users worldwide protecting essential information with Websense Hosted Security Services. Since acquiring the technology in October of 2007, the number of Websense Hosted Security Services customers in the United States has grown more than 100% and globally the number of new customers has increased by more than 20%.
Increased industry-leading service level agreements
With the increased threat intelligence from the ThreatSeeker Network, Websense has raised its spam detection service level agreement (SLA) to 99% for Websense Hosted Email Security, up from 97%. By eliminating spam in the cloud, organisations gain tremendous cost savings on hardware, bandwidth, storage, support and administration time. Websense Hosted Security Services are also backed by a 99.999% reliability SLA for service availability and a 100% SLA for protection from known viruses.
"Organisations are faced with a deluge of blended threats, as well as Web 2.0 sites used by criminals to spread spam and malicious code and drive phishing and fraud scams," said Devin Redmond, VP product management for Websense. "Delivered over the Internet, Websense Hosted Security services tackle these emerging threats in the cloud, ensuring spam and malicious content never reach the customer's network, keeping their employees and essential information secure."
"We've seen significant interest in Websense Hosted Security Services largely due to the immediate benefits organisations receive after turning on the services," said Websense Partner Steve Kedzior, senior VP, Client Solutions for Insight. "The hosted platform provides clients an easy, lower-cost approach that doesn't require hardware or software. Additionally, the hosted platform is easy to deploy and can be managed from a single Web interface."
Web and Email Security Resources
* White Paper: Deploying Hybrid Email Security Best Practices Guide
* Websense Security Labs Research: State of Internet Security Q3-Q4 2008
* Monthly Spam Statistics and Email Security Research: "In the Mail" - January 2009 edition
(1) IDC, Worldwide Web Security 2008-2012 Forecast and 2007 Vendor Shares, Doc # 213700, August 2008
(2) IDC, Worldwide Messaging Security 2008-2012 Forecast and 2007 Vendor Shares: Forecast Looks Cloudy, Doc # 213571, August 2008
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Websense, Inc.
Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN), a global leader in integrated Web, data and e-mail security solutions, provides Essential Information Protection™ for more than 43 million employees at organisations worldwide. Distributed through its global network of channel partners, Websense software and hosted security solutions help organisations block malicious code, prevent the loss of confidential information and enforce Internet use and security policies. For more information, visit www.websense.com. Websense is a registered trademark of Websense, Inc. in the United States and certain international markets. Websense has numerous other registered and unregistered trademarks in the United States and internationally. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.