Introduction

E-mail communications are critical to the daily operation of virtually all businesses. Breaches to your e-mail systems can make your business vulnerable to disruptions and cause damage to your relationships and brand, all of which can undermine your ability to be successful.

IBM Express Managed Services for e-mail security can help you maintain control of your e-mail systems and aid in mitigating the risks presented by e-mail-borne viruses, spam and illicit content. The services are designed to accomplish this by stopping viruses, spam and illicit content before they ever reach your network.

• Scalable from 25 to hundreds of seats for companies with a dedicated e-mail domain



• Is easy to buy, set up and use – and modify as your business needs change



• Is designed to act as a "gatekeeper" to your existing e-mail network by stopping "questionable" e-mails from coming in and going out



• Uses advanced technology that is designed to help you recognize potential new or emerging threats and stop them; this is better than a software solution, which typically leaves you vulnerable to new threats that may emerge between software updates



• Helps you manage your security costs and can support your broader business continuity and recovery plans, while helping to reduce the burdens on your IT staff

The service is designed to identify and stop viruses, spam and illicit content before they can reach your e-mail network. Because it's a managed service, there is no hardware or software to buy, install and upgrade. Once you "turn on" the service, it goes to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help you safeguard your email systems from viruses, spam and illicit material. This allows your IT staff to worry about other things, and you to be more confident about the security of your e-mail network – all for a fixed monthly cost.

The service consists of four separate service components that you simply "turn on" or "turn off" as needed. As described below, each service component is designed to address a specific e-mail security threat and can be easily added or removed as your business needs change:

• Anti-virus: Helps eliminate viruses from inbound and outbound e-mails



• Anti-spam: Filters out incoming spam, before it reaches your mail server



• Image control: Filters out e-mail containing illicit content, such as pornography



• Content control: Scans outgoing e-mails and attachments for intellectual property and/or confidential information

As you may know, software – or hardware-based solutions can serve to address the four e-mail security components listed above. But, only a managed service like IBM's can help you protect your e-mail during the so-called "threat gap" – this is the period of time during which a new threat is identified, a security "patch" becomes available and you can install the patch to your infrastructure. During this critical period of hours, days or weeks, your desktops, servers and network are all at risk of exposure.

Since new threats are emerging all the time, it's now more important than ever that you use a managed service, which removes the burden of installing updates yourself. Instead, the service is continuously and automatically updated, helping to identify and eliminate new and emerging threats before they can infiltrate your e-mail.

In the event your security is breached, you have access to IBM's Help Desk via a toll-free number and live Web text chat, as well as access to IBM's Incident Response Team.

This service is available for midmarket businesses that:

• Have limited IT support resources that are better allocated to other tasks



• Don't have the expertise to investigate new threats or manage security breaches



• Require turnkey services without up-front investments

You can use a full-featured trial of the IBM Express Managed Security Services for e-mail security, an IBM Express Portfolio™ solution, for 30 days and get a full refund if you're not satisfied.

You'll get all the benefits of using a managed service, coupled with the IT expertise and commitment to customer support you expect from IBM – for just pennies per seat per day. To start your 30-day trial today, contact IBM.

How it works
How to buy
Setup and support
Frequently asked questions
Business impacts of e-mail security

*Five days' prior written notice to IBM is required in order to cancel the Services during the 30-day risk-free period. This service delivers remote email screening only. Other services required to complete a total security solution are available from IBM but are not included under this offering. Registered domain required. Minimum order is 25 addresses at a per address price of $2.00.