McAfee sets out email security stall

Security giant McAfee has announced a new email security strategy designed to offer the broadest range of delivery options possible, including software-as-a-service (SaaS), on-premise applications or a combination of the two.

Customers opting for SaaS email security will be able to take advantage of McAfee SaaS Email Protection, which includes much of the technology gained in its MX Logic acquisition, to filter inbound and outbound traffic in the cloud.

McAfee is also delivering on-demand archiving and continuity offerings, the firm said.

On the on-premise side, the vendor's Email Gateway appliance for inbound and outbound security features advanced encryption capabilities, improved management functionality and support for ePolicy Orchestrator.

Customers can also operate a hybrid model using the Email Gateway on-premise solution to provide outbound data leakage protection, content filtering and encryption, and SaaS Email Protection to filter spam and other threats in the cloud.

Bryan Burke, programme director at analyst firm IDC, suggested that a combination of the two "offers a fully featured solution for today's environment ".

"The hybrid approach offers the cost savings and management ease of a cloud-based solution that reduces unwanted email before it hits the corporate gateway, but allows for custom policies, data loss prevention and integrated encryption capabilities that are best provided by an on-premise appliance," he said.