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SaaS thoughts Blog

Top 5 Reasons for using SaaS

 

Introduction

Access to clean and secure email is arguably the most mission critical service on your network. In our role as consultants, you count on us to keep you abreast of technological changes that will affect you. As the spammers’ attacks have gotten bolder, so too must your defenses and our recommendations.

Our Offered Services

Blended Systems has been assisting clients stop spam for years via software and by appliances as SMTP gateways. To these we now offer a Managed Service (Software as a Service or “SaaS”) method for stopping spam and virus-borne email.

As you are aware, Blended Systems is a Premier partner with Webroot Software offering their desktop security solution for anti-virus and anti-spyware. When Webroot purchased Email Systems in the UK (Press Release), we were excited. We had been in discussions for months with Webroot regarding their next security offerings.

Email Systems has been extraordinarily successful in their 5 years in the UK. They protect over 2.5 million email seats against spam and viruses. They also offer business continuity, email encryption, content management, image scanning, email archiving as well as web protection. As an indication of their success, 99% of their clients renew their subscriptions.

Webroot has added to the worldwide network of data centers started by Email Systems by adding data centers here in the states and elsewhere in the world. At least three data center servers redundantly handle a client’s email security. The servers in these data centers typically run below 20% capacity. Historically, the service has a record of 100% uptime.

Based on our privileged position, Blended Systems is one of a handful of Webroot partners to spearhead the introduction of Webroot Email Security Service (WESS) in the states. We think so highly of this service that we have a new website specifically for it: www.saasexperts.net. If you see references to saasexperts.net in an email or on our website, know that it is an additional offering not a replacement.

Why Managed Services Now?

Most organizations do not want the increasing volume of spam on their network. That means either putting an appliance at the gateway or engaging a managed service company to stop the spam at the Internet level.

SMTP gateway appliances are a good way to stop spam. However, appliances have several drawbacks compared to managed services.

• An appliance is still hardware in your data center. You still have to purchase or lease it, maintain it, power it and cool it.
• If you underestimate your needs and purchase an appliance too small, you end up with a choke point in your email flow. If you plan for too large a capacity, you have an underutilized box for much of its life.
• In either case, you still have to pay for antispam and antivirus subscriptions and support. Eventually, you will replace the appliance due to failure or age.

Outside Your Network but, Not Outside Your Control ©

Enabling a SaaS email security system gives you several benefits and eliminates several drawbacks of software and appliance solutions.

• You get clean email before it hits your system. WESS includes Antispam (7 engines), Antivirus (5 engines) and Content Control.
• With SaaS, there is no hardware to purchase, maintain, power or cool.
• You can add Business Continuity, Email Archiving, Email Encryption and even Web Filtering services simply.
• Since you pay only for the user count you need, there is never a question of a solution being over or under capacity. The servers typically work at less than 20% of capacity protecting 2.5 million seats.
• Your mail is at least as clean as (probably cleaner than) your existing solution.

We have all heard email security vendors quote their throughput, uptime, and cleaning statistics. Webroot’s managed service solution backs up their excellent statistics by giving you a Service Level Agreement guaranteeing your performance and uptime.

Our Next Steps

Blended Systems will continue to support and engage clients that wish to use software or appliances for email security. For a software solution, we offer NEMX SecuExchange. We offer two appliance solutions: Astaro gateways with email security and Mirapoint RazorGate appliances. Look for upcoming announcements from both appliance vendors.

If your appliance is coming to its end of life, you have a decision to make: continue with the existing appliance under limited support, purchase a new appliance or explore additional options.

If you are looking at replacing or augmenting your existing email security system or want more than the current solution has to offer, we recommend the following strategy.

• Evaluate your existing system against your changing requirements. If you need to replace your system or if you need additional coverage for your existing email strategy, look at Webroot’s Email Security Service.
• Contact us or look at the demonstration. You will be impressed at its completeness and ease of use. As one of our clients describes the administration, “It’s brain dead easy.”
• Take advantage of the 14-day evaluation. Contact us to arrange for an evaluation. No hardware to install, just change your MX record and you are up.

As always, we look forward to working with you on in this new phase of your business.

Bob Stevens, President

Blended Systems, LLC
877-603-0301
bstevens@blendedsytsems.com
bstevens@saasexperts.net