Managed Security Services

MSSP Survey Part 4:
Managed Anti-Virus, Anti-Spam, and Web Filtering Services

This year's MSSP survey finds more providers offering broader, deeper managed services to defeat viruses and spam.

by Lisa Phifer VP Core Competence, Inc. [January 18, 2005]

According to the 2004 CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security report, 59 percent of companies experienced insider abuse of Internet access last year, and 4 out of 5 fell victim to virus attacks.

Statistics gathered by Sophos indicate that 6 percent of e-mail messages sent last month carried viruses, and new outbreaks are propagating faster. For example, within one day of its December release, Zafi-D infected 10 percent of sent mail.

Today's viruses often combine multiple exploits and transmission methods, creating a slippery mix that can prove costly to businesses that lack adequate protection.

Furthermore, despite criminal legislation like the US CAN-SPAM act, spam rates continue to increase. Today, 10 out of 12 e-mail messages are spam, increasing 65 percent over the past three years. According to Gartner, 74 percent of customers now believe that ISPs should filter spam, and 36 percent would switch providers to receive less spam.

Like Sisyphus rolling that boulder uphill, fighting Internet abuse, viruses, and spam can be overwhelming. Many companies throw staff and software at these problems without making a serious dent, because creating a solid defense requires security savvy, innovation, and continuous improvement. Out-tasking these IT burdens to a managed security specialist can increase effectiveness, often at reduced cost.

In this year's Managed Security Provider survey, we find continued growth in broader, deeper offerings that stop viruses, spam, and (to a lesser extent) improper Web use. As shown in this figure (see chart below), participating providers with Managed anti-virus (AV) services have nearly doubled since our first survey. Moreover, most AV services are now accompanied by anti-spam services, surveyed for the first time this year.

While virus scanning, spam blocking, and Web filtering are complementary services, each presents unique challenges. Some MSSPs offer as these services on a single (often network-based) platform, while others offer discrete services on a variety of platforms.

Let's take a closer look.

NB: Throughout this survey, provider-supplied responses have been summarized and formatted to better enable direct comparison. Responses were reviewed to eliminate likely errors, but no attempt was made to test or otherwise verify these services. Please contact each MSSP directly regarding any service or feature questions.