Nokia and Trend Micro are to launch an e-mail scanning system to defend networks against viruses and spam attacks. Nokia Internet Communications, a unit of the world"s largest mobile phone maker, will provide network hardware that uses technology from Trend Micro, Japan"s biggest software security firm, that scans e-mail and automatically updates itself to recognize the latest virus threats.
"Up to now, people took different pieces of software and installed them onto their e-mail servers, which was difficult to maintain," said Dan MacDonald, vice president of product management and marketing at Mountain View, California-based Nokia Internet Communications. "The Nokia Message Protector (SC6600) sits at the edge of a network and detects all e-mails that pass through."
The new network security appliance will be available in the first quarter of 2003, the companies said on Tuesday.
With the threat of e-mail-born viruses ever present on the Internet, Trend Micro has beefed up its efforts to provide turnkey solutions, such as its GateLock broadband security system for consumers.