Symantec has unveiled new versions of messaging security platforms Brightmail Gateway 9.0 and Brightmail Gateway 9.0 Small Business Edition, which offer protection through real-time updates and provide control through integrated email encryption.

According to Symantec, the Brightmail Gateway 9.0, which will also be a part of the Symantec Protection Suite Enterprise Edition, will include machine learning module that identifies unique and targeted scams and phishing attacks, and protect against these threats.

The Brightmail Gateway 9.0 Small Business Edition, tailored for businesses with fewer than 250 users, provides protection against viruses, spam, phishing, botnets, and spyware. It will provide real-time protection with antispam rule updates and is available as both a physical appliance and a VMware-based virtual appliance.

Symantec said that the Brightmail Gateway 9.0 will offer new LDAP integration and spam quarantine architectures that provide customers with improved performance and scalability. The new LDAP integration architecture will scale support for recipient validation, authentication, address resolution and email routing based on a company’s LDAP infrastructure to large enterprise deployments.

Jack Quinnell, director of product management at Symantec, said:While many solutions claim to block more than 95 percent of spam, the targeted spam that does get through can do the significant damage due to advanced social engineering and criminal motivations behind these attacks.

“The planned release of Symantec Brightmail Gateway 9.0 staves off these targeted attacks, blocking more than 99 percent of spam while helping protect sensitive information and streamlining management of mission-critical email security.

Symantec Brightmail Gateway 9.0 and Symantec Brightmail Gateway 9.0 Small Business Edition are expected to be available in Spring 2010.