Webroot Debuts Web, E-Mail and Data Security with SAAS Release

Webroot's SAAS Web, e-mail and data security offering is aimed at cost-conscious companies looking to enhance their protection against malware and spam.

Internet security provider Webroot announced the release of Webroot Web Security Software-as-a-Service (SAAS) and Webroot Email Security SAAS with enhancements including Web browsing quotas to enforce Internet use policies and a new Webroot Email Encryption Service to secure sensitive e-mail communications. The offerings are aimed at small to medium-size businesses looking for a SAAS-based solution to e-mail and data security.

The release of Web Security SAAS includes quota support, which allows businesses to set, monitor and enforce granular Internet use policies for bandwidth, time spent surfing and number of Websites visited. Quotas can be controlled independently and provide options to block or warn the user, e-mail the administrator or simply log the event. By using quotas, organizations can further manage and control employee Web activity and easily identify policy violations with new reporting and detailed forensic data.

The other new features of Web Security SAAS include extended log duration, which extends access to detailed forensic data on Internet use across the organization, heuristics-based detection of malicious JavaScript and Shell code to provide zero-hour protection against these threats, search engine safe search that enforces "safe search" settings within major search engines to prevent inappropriate images from appearing in image search results, updated desktop Web proxy for improved support for mobile users, and the added ability to receive automatic updates and support for Citrix and Terminal Services environments.

Webroot's general manager of SAAS, Don Beck, said with the continued growth in volume and maliciousness of Web threats, businesses today require more robust functionality to manage Web security as well as employee Internet use. "For e-mail security, e-mail encryption is becoming required by law. Organizations are increasingly faced with legal, regulatory and compliance requirements," he said. "Our new Web and Email Security services address these concerns, block threats in the cloud and keep malware off the network."

Webroot's Email Security SAAS now includes several end-user and administrator usability upgrades as well as a new policy-based e-mail encryption service. The new Email Encryption Service helps businesses meet legal, compliance and regulatory standards by automatically encrypting e-mail messages based on company e-mail policy. Webroot argues this policy-based encryption service expands data loss prevention capabilities and improves the secure handling of confidential company data.

The new features of Email Security SAAS include the e-mail encryption service, which allows businesses to set policies to automatically encrypt e-mail communications to help meet legal, compliance and regulatory requirements and to protect sensitive data; customizable e-mail digest reports that improve branding and control over content of daily e-mail summary reports; and usability enhancements, like management portal enhancements that Webroot said make it easier for customers to deploy, configure and manage their services.