Proofpoint Updates Its Next-Generation Email Security And Privacy Platform With Powerful Data Loss Prevention And Encryption Enhancements, Available For SaaS Or Appliance Deployment

Proofpoint, Inc., the leading provider of unified email security, archiving and data loss prevention solutions, recently introduced Proofpoint 6.1, the latest version of its SaaS and appliance-based email security and data loss prevention (DLP) platform. Proofpoint 6.1 builds on the email encryption, data loss prevention, security and workflow features of Proofpoint 6 (http://www.proofpoint.com/news-and-events/press-releases/pressdetail.php?PressReleaseID=248) with powerful features including improved multi-protocol (email and Web) DLP capabilities, a new data loss prevention dashboard, an Outlook plug-in for easier access to on-demand email encryption (via Proofpoint Encryption) and other security and performance enhancements.

"Across the globe, we're seeing a trend toward more stringent data protection regulations that promise stricter breach notification requirements, bigger fines and more headaches for organizations that fail to properly protect private data," said Peter Galvin, chief marketing officer for Proofpoint. "That trend, combined with a growing awareness of data protection as a best practice, is driving increased demand for data loss prevention and encryption solutions. Proofpoint 6.1 answers that demand with improved DLP and encryption capabilities while also continuing to innovate on inbound email protection."

"Additionally, an increasing number of customers are seeking to leverage the cost savings and other benefits of SaaS and are deploying not just inbound email security but also data loss prevention and email encryption functions ‘in the cloud'," continued Galvin.

Recent Proofpoint customers that have deployed Proofpoint's entire suite of inbound and outbound email security solutions as SaaS include:

• A Fortune 500 retailer that deployed Proofpoint's entire suite to better comply with PCI (Payment Card Industry) data security standards, protecting more than 5000 mailboxes.
• A major regional health insurer that deployed Proofpoint's entire suite to improve compliance with HIPAA healthcare privacy regulations, protecting more than 30,000 mailboxes.
• A Global 2000 provider of engineering design and construction services that deployed Proofpoint's entire suite to better protect many different types of private and confidential information, protecting more than 6000 mailboxes.

Whether deployed as SaaS or on-premises, Proofpoint 6.1 simplifies today's complex email environments by combining inbound anti-spam and anti-virus, outbound data loss prevention, email encryption and policy enforcement features into one affordable, easy-to-use and easy-to-manage platform for taking control of email. Some of the key enhancements to the Proofpoint 6.1 platform are described in more detail below.

Multi-Protocol Data Loss Prevention via ICAP Standard Protocol Support

In its most recent annual survey of data loss prevention issues in large enterprises (download a complimentary copy from http://www.proofpoint.com/outbound) Proofpoint found that more than half of companies surveyed (56.4%) said that it is "important" or "very important" for their organizations to reduce the legal and financial risks associated with outbound HTTP traffic in the next 12 months. Proofpoint 6.1 extends Proofpoint's powerful email-based data loss prevention features—which allow administrators to automatically detect and block confidential information, private customer or employee data (such as private healthcare, financial or identity information) and other sensitive content—to additional protocols including HTTP and HTTPS.

Proofpoint systems can now interoperate with Web proxy appliances that support the ICAP protocol—including Proofpoint technology partner Blue Coat Systems' ProxySG appliances—to block outbound Web transmissions that violate an organization's policies.

The new feature allows organizations to apply the same content security, regulatory compliance and acceptable use policies defined for SMTP-based email to HTTP and HTTPS communications. Web posting activity—such as Web-based email posting (including Webmail services such as MSN Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, AOL Mail and Google Gmail)—can be automatically intercepted and scanned for information leaks and policy violations, even inside SSL-encrypted sessions.

Proofpoint's easy-to-use policy management interface provides a convenient, single-point of control for creating and managing both email and Web data loss prevention policies. Proofpoint's robust DLP incident management, remediation and workflow features can now be used to manage both email and Web-based violations.

Enhanced Data Loss Prevention and Incident Management Dashboard

Proofpoint 6.1 brings a new level of flexibility and ease-of-use to administrators, compliance officers and other business users who need to review and remediate data loss incidents. The new data loss prevention dashboard provides a DLP-specific user interface and reports that make it easier for these administrators to review, comment on, track and escalate outbound policy violations.

Proofpoint's reporting interface has been enhanced with a new look and feel that will help administrators better understand policy violation and policy compliance trends across their organizations. The new reporting interface also improves the appearance, usability and flexibility of all of Proofpoint's built-in reports.

Proofpoint Encryption Enhancements

First introduced with Proofpoint 6, Proofpoint Encryption (http://www.proofpoint.com/products/email-encryption.php) adds SaaS-powered, policy-based email encryption to the Proofpoint ENTERPRISE Privacy suite. Proofpoint Encryption enables easy-to-use, easy-to-manage email encryption that's friendly to senders, recipients and administrators. Email encryption policies are managed and enforced on an enterprise level from a single location, using Proofpoint's administrative GUI. Proofpoint Encryption also eliminates key management, backup and administration burdens through the Proofpoint Key Service, which uses the Proofpoint on Demand SaaS infrastructure to provide secure, cost-efficient, highly-available and fully redundant key storage facilities.

With Proofpoint 6.1, Proofpoint Encryption has been enhanced with a variety of new ease-of-use, security and ease-of-administration features including:

• Proofpoint Encryption Plug-in for Outlook: A new plug-in for Microsoft Outlook allows Proofpoint Encryption users to easily initiate encrypted messages directly from their Outlook inboxes.
• Proofpoint Key Service enhancements: Enhanced search facilities enable administrators to more easily find specific encryption keys (for message revocation or other key management tasks).
• Security and administration enhancements: Administrators now have more flexibility in configuring security settings for the Proofpoint Secure Reader (the Web-based interface that allows users to decrypt and read encrypted messages) and improved control over their organization's unique password policies.

Anti-spam Effectiveness and Efficiency Enhancements

Proofpoint continues its commitment to delivering the industry's most effective anti-spam solution, powered by patent-pending Proofpoint MLX machine learning technology which typically delivers 99.8% or better effectiveness against all types of spam, phishing attacks and other inbound email threats.

New enhancements to Proofpoint MLX coming in the Proofpoint 6.1 timeframe improve both the effectiveness and efficiency of Proofpoint's email connection management and spam filtering. Whether deployed as SaaS or on-premises, all Proofpoint customers will benefit from improved anti-spam effectiveness. On-premises customers will also benefit from efficiency improvements that reduce memory utilization and improve spam filter throughput, allowing them to process higher volumes of email on existing hardware.

Enhanced Proofpoint Smart Search Performance

The performance of Proofpoint Smart Search, Proofpoint's advanced message tracing and log analysis component has also been improved, allowing administrators to more rapidly trace both inbound and outbound messages, analyze how messages were processed by the Proofpoint system and report on the disposition and status of any email message.

SaaS and Appliance Solution Suites Simplify Email Security

The new features of Proofpoint 6.1 will be available simultaneously for Proofpoint's SaaS (Proofpoint on Demand) and appliance (Proofpoint Messaging Security Gateway) deployments as part of Proofpoint ENTERPRISE, Proofpoint's flagship email security solution. Proofpoint ENTERPRISE is available both on-demand and on-premises with two solution suites that support the most common inbound threat protection and outbound data loss prevention requirements:

• Proofpoint ENTERPRISE Protection Suite: Proofpoint ENTERPRISE Protection delivers all of Proofpoint's best-in-class inbound email security and email management components. Features include: advanced connection management; Proofpoint MLX-powered spam detection; signature-based and zero-hour virus protection; email firewall, deep content inspection and outbound filtering capabilities to enforce acceptable use policies for message content and attachments; advanced message tracing; and TLS encryption.
• Proofpoint ENTERPRISE Privacy Suite: For enterprises with advanced regulatory compliance and data privacy requirements, Proofpoint ENTERPRISE Privacy provides "defense in depth" for private information of all types. It protects private information in email, defends against leaks of confidential information and ensures compliance with common data protection regulations including HIPAA, GLBA and PCI standards. For maximum data loss prevention flexibility and control, Proofpoint ENTERPRISE Privacy now includes the powerful encryption features of Proofpoint Encryption, which helps mitigate the risks associated with regulatory violations, data loss and corporate policy violations by automatically applying encryption based on your organization's unique policies.
• Features include: advanced, highly accurate detection of private or confidential information in unstructured and structured data; pre-configured data protection policies; an easy-to-use administration console; integrated policy-based email encryption; and robust incident management.

Pricing and Availability
The Proofpoint 6 platform, Proofpoint Encryption module, Proofpoint ENTERPRISE Protection and Proofpoint ENTERPRISE Privacy suites are generally available now. The Proofpoint 6.1 update will be available in the second quarter of 2010. Pricing for the Proofpoint ENTERPRISE Privacy bundle (including Proofpoint Encryption) is less than $17 per user, per year for organizations with 5000 to 10,000 inboxes. Contact Proofpoint for a detailed quote.

Current Proofpoint email security customers on maintenance can upgrade to the Proofpoint 6 and 6.1 platforms free of charge.

Learn More about Email Security and Compliance in Today's Enterprise

Visit Proofpoint at the RSA Conference 2010, in San Francisco's Moscone Center, booth #1132 to learn more about Proofpoint's next-generation SaaS solutions for email security, data loss prevention, email encryption and email archiving.

To learn more about Proofpoint's easy-to-deploy and easy-to-use policy-based email encryption solution, register to download two complimentary whitepapers—Proofpoint's Protecting Enterprise Data with Proofpoint Encryption and Osterman Research's The Critical Need for Encrypted Email and File Transfer Solutions—by visiting: http://www.proofpoint.com/emailencryption .

About Proofpoint, Inc.
Proofpoint secures and improves enterprise email infrastructure with solutions for email security, archiving, encryption and data loss prevention. Proofpoint solutions defend against spam and viruses, prevent leaks of confidential and private information, encrypt sensitive emails and archive messages for retention, e-discovery and easier mailbox management. Proofpoint solutions can be deployed on-demand (SaaS), on-premises (appliance) or in a hybrid architecture for maximum flexibility and scalability. For more information, please visit http://www.proofpoint.com.

SOURCE: Proofpoint, Inc.