Trend Micro: SaaS Security
The Botnet Identification Service aims to identify command-and-control centers that are operating zombie networks and then enable users to block communications between those centers and the zombie PCs they control.
Other applications available include the company's E-mail Reputation Services, which scans incoming e-mails and checks them against the reputation of senders' IP addresses and enables administrators to set policies, and the InterScan Messaging Hosted Security, a hosted e-mail security service designed to protect against viruses, spam, malware and phishing.
Partners have several options in how they can sell the services, said John Maddison, general manager of Trend Micro Network Services. VARs can resell the service to their customer, who then can manage the services through a portal, or partners can sell the service to their customers and manage it for them as well. Partners also can opt to sell the service as a white-label offering. In that model, Trend Micro can host the platform or partners can host it in their own data centers.
E-mail Reputation Services costs $6.80 per user for 250 users, InterScan Hosted Messaging Security costs $28.50 per user for 250 users, and the Botnet Identification Service costs 9 cents per user for 500,000 users.
Partners can offer the services through Trend Micro's new Worry Free Remote Manager, a tool designed to let channel partners remotely manage their customers' security software.
About 200 resellers currently use the remote manager tool, said Nancy Reynolds, vice president of SMB channel marketing and sales at Trend Micro. "We have enabled partners to sell different managed services offerings around security solutions, which affords them the ongoing touch point with their customers," she said.
Some VARs say they are starting to move further into the security SaaS space. "We're investing more into offering hosted solutions for at least our SMB customers. We do believe this is a trend where we'll see more usage of that type of a solution. SMBs are not as focused on control like larger enterprises, and my belief is that this is a case where we'll see a gradual move by some customers to this type of model," said Tom Ruffolo, president of security solution provider eSecurityToGo, Irvine, Calif.