McAfee Preps Business Anti-Spyware
At the RSA 2005 Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, McAfee unveiled an enterprise software package to combat the growing threat of malware in business.
Anti-Spyware Enterprise is designed to complement McAfee VirusScan Enterprise 7.1 and 8.0i as an extra layer of protection and is centrally managed. The software is suitable for both small-to-medium sized businesses and the enterprise, the company says.
McAfee isn't the only one looking to protect businesses from malware. Microsoft announced Tuesday that it will launch a paid anti-spyware offering for the enterprise, while keeping its AntiSpyware software free for personal users.
According to McAfee, Anti-Spyware Enterprise detects and eliminates all recognized spyware, adware, dialers, keyloggers, cookies, and remote-control programs classified as malware. The software has the backing of AVERT, the anti-virus and security research arm of McAfee and a cadre of McAfee professional service organizations.
"McAfee Anti-Spyware Enterprise adds an essential layer of protection to help businesses free up important company resources and eliminate the costs associated with help desk calls and the clean up of malicious threats," said Vincent Rossi, senior vice president of product management at McAfee.
IT managers have the option to deploy and manage Anti-Spyware Enterprise with either ePolicy Orchestrator (ePOTM) for the enterprise, or McAfee ProtectionPilot for small-to-medium businesses. Customers may also obtain services through McAfee channel partners.
Industry analysts have labeled malware as one of the most prevailing risks to businesses that are online.
"Many of our clients report that spyware is the cause of 30 percent of their helpdesk calls and often requires in-person IT support to remove the spyware or re-image the PC. Gartner believes that spyware prevention must be integrated with anti-virus and personal firewall protections to be effective in the long run," said John Pescatore, an analyst with Gartner.
Nate Mook contributed to this report.