Trend Micro's InterScan Messaging Security Suite (ISMSS) is a gateway-based platform that specifically focuses on the protection of E-mail messaging (SMTP, TLS, POP3). The platform can now be purchased as software, appliance, or hosted versions.

ISMSS provides anti-virus & anti-spyware scanning and content filtering capabilties out-of-the-box, and an "Advanced" version of the platform additionally offers anti-spam protection.

For anti-virus, the product features both pattern-based and heuristics-based virus recognition as well as the vendor's "IntelliTrap" technology, which performs evaluations on compressed files in an attempt to identify viruses without requiring a signature match. For content filtering/compliance protection, the product enables the filtering of both incoming and outgoing E-mail messages and their attachments based on keywords, lexicions, attachment characteristics, and other rules. Users can define rules utilizing boolean and regular expressions. Other features include the ability to designate authorized senders/receivers individually, by group, or company wide; and support for the addition of disclaimers to E-mail messages based on content.

The anti-spam/anti-phishing features (only included in the advanced version of the product) attempt to provide anti-spam protection in three distinct ways. The Network Reputation Services filter out spam from known spam senders based on the sender's IP address before the data enters the gateway; the IP Profiler provides customer-specific reputation services and a firewall for the blocking of directory harvest attacks and bounced message attacks; and finally the anti-spam composite engine provides traditional message scanning capabilities, including the identification of emdedded spam URLs and image spam recognition. The anti-phishing capabilities utilize a combination of signatures, heuristics, and reputation checking.

To manage the product, the vendor offers a centralized Web-based management console for the setting of security policies and functional controls.

ISMSS is available in software (Windows, Linux, Solaris), hardware, and now hosted flavors. The InterScan Messaging Security Appliance is a hardened-Linux based appliance; with dual P4 2.8GHz Xeon processors, 2 GB of memory, and dual/hot swappable fans and power supplies. 2 1 GB Ethernet ports are available for traffic, and a 10/100 port for management. Access to the console is available through Web (HTTP/HTTPS), SSH (CLI), or the optional Trend Micro Control Manager.

The new release of ISMSS is expected to be available in Q2/2007 (software and appliance). The software version will carry an SRP of $15.88/user (2001 users), while the appliance will be priced at $20,815. The hosted version (called InterScan Messaging Hosted Security) is expected in April of 2007, with an SRP of $13.50/user (2001 users).

Contact Trend Micro for further information.