Proofpoint Puts Enterprise E-Mail Security in Cloud, Mobile Devices

Enterprise-level e-mail security, compliance and archiving aren't functions that one would readily equate with a cloud service, but Proofpoint is showing the IT market how to do it.

The Sunnyvale, Calif., company on March 15 released Proofpoint Mobile, an application suite that adds e-mail security, compliance and archiving capabilities to mobile devices.

The software runs on Proofpoint's CloudControl security and compliance platform and can be distributed either through lightweight native applications on servers or mobile-optimized, Web-based applications, Chief Marketing Officer Peter Galvin told eWEEK.

The cloud-based service aims to provide users and administrators with a familiar user experience on their device of choice, Galvin said.

"People want to use devices that they are comfortable with," Galvin said. "And they want to use them wherever they may be located. Proofpoint provides these flexibilities."

Proofpoint recognizes that security and compliance must be interwoven into any mobile device, Galvin said.

"Without it, costly data breaches and compliance violations will occur," Galvin said. "Our cloud-based mobile applications will allow any enterprise to welcome consumer-based technology into its communications fold."

Three-Tier Architecture

Proofpoint's cloud platform is a new option to its traditional on-site model for security and compliance. CloudControl uses a three-tiered architecture that includes a secure infrastructure, shared cloud services and a series of application suites, Galvin said.

The software can be distributed to data centers globally; all network devices run on redundancies within the data center. Optionally, users can be deployed into multiple data centers for business continuity and disaster recovery protection, Galvin said.

The new application set includes Proofpoint Mobile Encryption, Mobile Archive and Mobile Dashboard. Others include Proofpoint Enterprise Protection for eDiscovery, which handles regulatory compliance and e-mail storage management; Enterprise Privacy, for e-mail/social media compliance for HIPAA, GLBA and PCI-DSS standards; and Enterprise Archive, for creating, maintaining and enforcing a corporate e-mail and social media retention policy.

The encryption's Decrypt Assist feature enables one-click decryption for users on mobile devices, Galvin said. Also available is a BlackBerry plug-in feature for easy message encryption on BlackBerry phones, he said.

The mobile suite is available now free of charge to current Proofpoint customers.