Antivirus Vendors To Add Spam-Fighting CapabilitiesAntivirus Vendors To Add Spam-Fighting Capabilities

Although the antivirus market is among the most mature in software, there's still room for improvement, research firm Meta Group says.

Businesses should keep an eye on developments, particularly moves by major vendors in integrating corporate anti-spam defenses with virus killers.

By the end of next year, says Meta Group's Peter Firstbrook, a senior research analyst with the firm's security and risk-strategies service, the leading antivirus vendors will offer comprehensive anti-spam software through acquisition or integration.

Longer term, he says, the successful security software makers will incorporate other forms of content management such as URL and mobile-code filtering at the enterprise gateway, and will offer integrated personal firewalls and personal intrusion detection at the client.

"Antivirus defense isn't achieved solely by installing a software product. It's attained by partnering with one or more strategic vendors, deploying a suite of defensive tools, actively monitoring threat activity, and continuously adjusting defenses," Firstbrook says.

Businesses that are reluctant to switch from existing antivirus client software, which may be spread across tens of thousands of seats in the case of major companies, should select a vendor dedicated to deploying antivirus software and security in large organizations.

That leaves three security software makers--Network Associates/McAfee, Symantec, and Trend Micro--as the leading contenders for enterprise business. Of those three, Firstbrook tags Trend Micro as the leader, thanks to its dominance in the growing gateway market, its focus on the virus outbreak cycle, and its centralized management tools. But Symantec and McAfee aren't far behind. Challengers to the big three include Computer Associates and Sophos.

The maturation of the security market means businesses have opportunities to bargain. "Aggressive negotiations on licensing and service plans can lower the cost of ownership of antivirus defenses," Firstbrook said.

Companies evaluating antivirus and security suppliers should seek out vendors with ongoing investments in research and development, and a proven track record of innovation.

On Monday, Symantec announced AntiVirus for SMTP Gateways 3.1, an E-mail gateway defense that integrates both anti-spam and antivirus features--the kind of move Firstbrook said to look for.

AntiVirus for SMTP Gateways 3.1 includes multiple methods of defending against spam, ranging from blacklists provided by third parties to a heuristic anti-spam engine that probes a message's characteristics and determines the likelihood that it's spam. Administrators can tweak the anti-spam engine for best results for their users, as well as create and apply more traditional spam defenses, such as whitelists and subject-line filtering.