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Mailprotector Reaches 3,000 Customer Milestone as Market Demand for Email Security Remains Strong

Jan 27, 2009 08:00 ET

Analysts Forecast Email Security Market to Grow From $3.9 Billion in 2008 to More Than $6.2 Billion in 2012 as Economic Downturn Fuels Cybercrime Boom

GREER, SC--(Marketwire - January 27, 2009) - Mailprotector, a technology leader in fully managed email security services, today announced it has reached the 3,000 customer milestone with a three-year revenue growth rate of more than 196%. With the release of each new economic report the world holds its collective breath to see how the news will be received. Falling stock prices, unflattering employment reports and layoffs are typically the first noticeable reactions. Unfortunately, one hidden by-product of the flailing economy is the increase in cybercrime. According to reports(1), even IT professionals who were previously gainfully employed are now turning their considerable technical talents and using them to steal and exploit sensitive data.

With cybercrime on the rise, email security providers like Mailprotector are thriving. The company processes and protects more than 10 million messages per day for more than 3,000 customers around the globe and has doubled its revenue and nearly tripled its channel partner base over the last three years. With the company on pace with industry projections, Mailprotector's explosive growth is positioned to continue. In support of this positive outlook, recent numbers published by industry analyst firm Radicati Group forecast the email security market to grow from $3.9 billion in 2008 to more than $6.2 billion in 2012.

Mailprotector Technology Leadership

Mailprotector's delivery model and technology advantages have propelled the company as it addresses key concerns of small and medium businesses (SMBs), including simplicity, effectiveness and cost. Key technology and business success drivers include:

• Pioneering of training-free fully managed email security services to
  provide protection from spam, viruses and malware before these threats
  reach the network;
• Protection of ALL email hardware and software platforms, including
  Exchange, Groupwise, IMail, SmarterMail, Sendmail, qMail, Merak and others;
• Comprehensive offering for uninterrupted virus and vulnerability
  scanning, spam and phishing filtration, attack and email backup protection;
• Zero tolerance for false positives; and
• Partner driven go-to-market model with dedicated support and
  compelling margin structure.

"The wave of email security threats to business operations shows no signs of slowing down. While traditional attacks continue, the field is broadening. Even IT professionals, who have dedicated their careers to ensuring that systems are safe and secure, are bending their considerable skill set to exploit weaknesses in networks they once managed," said Bruce LaFlam, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Mailprotector.

Designed to protect against spam, viruses, vulnerabilities, attacks and availability challenges, Mailprotector is a highly accurate hosted solution that dramatically reduces email security based IT management problems. Mailprotector provides the most affordable, completely managed, and rapidly deployable email security service available to small and medium sized businesses with a high level of personal touch.

Special Agent Darren Mott of the FBI's Cyber Division was quoted in a recent Dark Reading article as saying, "There has been an increase in attacks on specific individuals, such as CEOs and CFOs, because a lot of businesses are going under... that gives them more directed targets. The attackers lure them with promises of financial assistance, for instance, and some even pretend to be subpoenas from the Justice Department. One attack via email urged bidders who had lost out on a government contract to resubmit their bids and, thus, spill sensitive contact and other information."

Such specific threats, known as spear phishing or whaling attacks, are a fast-growing and ominous threat. This form of cybercrime uses email-based "social engineering" to gain unauthorized access to corporate systems and confidential data. Unlike mass-phishing perpetrators, who use spoofed emails to cast a wide net to fraudulently gather data from unsuspecting victims, spear phishing attackers target specific organizations and individuals. Unfortunately, this targeted and sophisticated technique has proven extremely successful in providing "hackers" access to financial data, corporate and military information, and trade secrets -- with the final goal, of course, financial or political gain.

With these threats accelerating, providing proper email security is as important as ever. Cybercriminals are continuously devising new and different approaches to monopolize email vulnerabilities, which takes constant expert attention to prevent. To learn more about Mailprotector and its offerings visit www.mailprotector.net.

About Mailprotector

Mailprotector, a division of VirtualConnect Technologies, Inc., is a leader in email security. Founded in 1999, the company is a pioneer in the managed email security industry with its Exchange Spam Filter and has since grown into a complete managed security suite protecting all email hardware and software platforms (Exchange, Groupwise, IMail, SmarterMail, Sendmail, qMail, Merak and all others) from outside the network perimeter. Today, Mailprotector provides uninterrupted virus and vulnerability scanning, spam and phishing filtration, attack and email backup protection as well as data loss prevention (DLP) to more than 3,000 organizations on six continents. For more information visit www.mailprotector.net.

(1) Forbes Magazine, November 19, 2008, Economic Bust, Cybercrime Boom, Commentary by Avivah Litan, Vice President and Distinguished Analyst for Gartner. http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/18/cybercrime-boom-fraud-tech-security-cx_ag_1119crime.html