The spyware upgrade to its MIMEsweeper for Web software, follows 12 months after the product was bolstered with anti-spam features and first released in an appliance form factor. That is based on a hardened Linux operating system, and offers bi-directional protection of all inbound and outbound traffic, something Clearswift sees as setting it apart from rivals such as CipherTrust Inc and IronPort Systems Inc.
Our vision is one of enterprise content governance, said Jon Lee, Clearswift’s CEO. Some aspects we will build, some we will acquire, and for some we will rely on partners. We want to monitor flows of all message content, both in and out of the organization. That bi-directional capability is very important. Managing what leaves an organization is as important as being able to stop the bad stuff coming in.
In web filtering, the company competes against Websense Inc, Blue Coat Systems Inc, and SurfControl Plc, a sector that is going through some challenging times with poor billings in recent quarters. For managed services it is pitched against the likes of Postini Inc and MessageLabs Ltd.
The anti-spyware system will become available this year, and the company is not prepared yet to reveal full details of its features or pricing. It did say that according a survey it has just completed, 68% of all IT security professionals now rank spyware as a serious problem for their businesses. Clearswift estimates that over 70% of spyware is brought into a corporate network by employees using the web, and the rest comes hidden in spam email messages.
