Trend Micro Expands Hosted Security Service

Security specialist Trend Micro beefs up its Worry-Free family and hosted security portfolio, aimed at cost-conscious businesses.

Trend Micro is expanding its "Worry-Free" promise of safer, smarter, simpler security through a subscription-based, hosted service solution designed to allow small to medium-size businesses (SMBs) to be always connected and protected. The services are part of both the Trend Micro Worry-Free family and its hosted security portfolio. The company said they are designed to help alleviate some of the cost, margin and product-reliability challenges channel partners face, particularly in challenging economic conditions.

The Trend Micro Smart Protection Network uses a number of patent-pending technologies and combines Internet-based (or "in-the-cloud") technologies with lighter-weight, client-based methods. Features include Smart Scan, a scanning approach that lightens the memory load of computers by storing the majority of security technology on the Web security server maintained by Trend Micro rather than each computer and Smart Feedback, integrated feedback loops that provide continuous communication between Trend Micro products as well as the company's 24/7 threat research centers and technologies in a two-way update stream.

Each new threat identified via a single customer's routine reputation check, for example, automatically updates all of Trend Micro's threat databases around the world, blocking any subsequent customer encounters of a given threat. Worry-Free Business Security Services is currently available in North America via online, retail and computer resellers. Per user pricing varies by seat count and price decreases with volume. Pricing starts at a suggested price of $31.48 per user for a one-year subscription for companies with 2-25 machines.

"The troubling economy has affected everyone, including our channel partners. Trend Micro's commitment to enabling channel-success is recognized throughout the industry and we designed Worry-Free Business Security Services for stronger partner-profitability," said Carol Carpenter, general manager of the consumer and small business units for Trend Micro. "Worry-Free Business Security Services locks in success for both channel and customer. Channel partners gain increased margin and closer customer relationships. Customers get superior threat protection against the latest threats."

The solution also includes behavior monitoring and analysis technology that keeps an eye on applications to identify any abnormal activity that indicates malicious behavior by correlating the different components of a threat and continuously updating its threat databases. Trend Micro claims on average, the Smart Protection Network currently handles over 30 billion queries, and blocks nearly 4 billion threats a day.