E-Mail Security Vendor MX Logic Adds Archiving to Portfolio

MX Logic is unveiling a new hosted e-mail archiving service, joining a growing number of e-mail security vendors adding message storage to their software-as-a-service portfolio.

The new MX Logic Message Archiving service captures and retains all inbound, outbound and internal e-mails and attachments. The company has bundled the service aimed at enterprise, and is being sold both in conjunction with and separately from the MX Logic’s e-mail security service.

According to MX Logic COO Pete Khanna, archiving is a natural extension for vendors using SAAS (software-as-a-service) to deliver e-mail security.

“More than 31,000 businesses already trust and rely on MX Logic to filter and process their e-mail, so message archiving was a logical next step,” he explained.  “In other words, if MX Logic is already filtering inbound and outbound messages for spam and viruses, it makes perfect sense that customers would look to us for secure storage and retrieval of their messages.”

Other security vendors offering e-mail security services are taking a similar tack. Proofpoint, for example, provides both e-mail security and archiving via a SAAS model, as does Webroot. Symantec, meanwhile, may move in the same direction through its pending purchase of MessageLabs, which offers both capabilities in the cloud.

“What we found over time was that security services were a great lead-in…but that once they were in, the companies we had as customers were looking to add additional capabilities around overall mail management,” said Brian Czarny, vice president of solutions marketing at Webroot. “Traditionally, a lot of the archiving solutions were very difficult to manage on premise - you had to install the software [and] you had to continually manage your storage. What we’ve really seen, especially in the last kind of 12 to 18 months, has been more of them [moving] to more simple hosted services where…you basically just pay a simple monthly fee and you get full archiving with everything you need.”

Though MX Logic has traditionally been focused on small to midsized businesses, this product is part of an effort to expand its footprint among enterprises. The offering includes unlimited capacity to ensure scalability and has been integrated with MX Logic’s e-mail and Web Defense services.

“Message Archiving also uses powerful 'and/or' logic much like an Internet search engine, allowing enterprises to search virtually unlimited amounts of messages within seconds and with pinpoint accuracy,” Khanna said. “The unlimited capacity, powerful search capabilities and consolidated management ultimately helps enterprises offload the day-to-day burden of storing and archiving messages, while still giving them the control and access they want and need. In addition, all of our services are provided with the added benefit of world-class operational infrastructure and scalable reliability without the large upfront cost to an enterprise.”

Pricing for the new Message Archiving service begins as low as $2 per user per month, which includes unlimited storage for one year. Customers can also opt for three-year, five-year or seven-year retention packages, which are priced at an additional $.75 per user per year of storage. In addition, 24/7 live telephone and e-mail support are included at no extra charge.