Brightmail partners with Microsoft to ensure long-term viability of e-mail
Announcement posted by Brightmail 26 Feb 2004
Brightmail reputation service complements new caller ID technology to protect enterprises
Brightmail, the anti-spam market leader, today announced that it is partnering with Microsoft on Microsofts Caller ID for E-mail technology. Microsoft has developed the Caller ID for E-Mail technology to verify what domain a message came from much like how caller ID for telephones shows the phone number of the person calling. Coupled with the Brightmail Reputation Service, Caller ID for E-Mail will work to ensure that enterprises have accurate information to protect their networks from spam. Caller ID for E-mail will allow enterprises to know the true identity of the sender, while the Brightmail Reputation Service will measure the senders reputation for sending legitimate e-mail versus spam.
With the measures that spammers are taking today to disguise themselves and trick spam filters, the anti-spam fight is a continuous one we are constantly improving Brightmails best-of-breed software and exploring new technologies that will protect the integrity of e-mail, said Enrique Salem, president and CEO of Brightmail. Authentication and reputation technologies are the next important steps in securing the e-mail infrastructure, and we are excited to be working with Microsoft on its new Caller ID for E-mail technology. By combining verifiable identity with our Reputation Service, we will not only keep more spam out of users inboxes, but also provide a strong foundation for the future of e-mail security.
Anti-spam technologies now must not only deal with the vast volumes of spam, but also the increasingly devious methods used by spammers attempting to evade spam filters. Practices such as spoofing when a spammer sends e-mail purporting to be from someone its not are increasingly common, and can also pose significant security risks when used to deliver e-mail viruses. To continue stopping spam from flooding inboxes, filters now need additional information that is not available in e-mail messages today.
Authentication and reputation technologies are the first relatively simple but system-wide changes to the e-mail infrastructure that are needed to provide greater certainty about the origin of an e-mail message and to enable legitimate senders to more clearly distinguish themselves from spammers. Microsofts Caller ID for E-mail and other authentication standards are a critical first step to secure e-mail by authenticating the sender of the message; however, authentication alone is not enough. Only the combination of authentication with reputation will restore users trust in e-mail. Brightmail is working with Microsoft to ensure that the benefits of the Brightmail Reputation Service complements the Caller ID for E-mail to provide additional layers of security to enterprise e-mail systems.
Helping to ensure that e-mail remains a trusted communications tool for users is critical, said Ryan Hamlin, General Manager, Anti-Spam Technology and Strategy Group at Microsoft. The combination of Microsofts Caller ID for E-mail and Brightmails Reputation Service enables filters to more effectively prevent spam from reaching users inboxes and we are excited to work with Brightmail on anti-spam initiatives to protect the long-term viability of e-mail.
About Brightmail
Brightmail, the anti-spam market leader delivers anti-spam technology that makes messaging environments secure and manageable. PC Magazines EDITORS CHOICE for best enterprise anti-spam software, Brightmail Anti-Spam protects the email networks of businesses, government agencies, and service providers, blocking unsolicited bulk email, or spam, while assuring that legitimate mail is reliably delivered. Brightmail protects over 1,800 of the worlds leading enterprises, including Airbus, Avaya, eBay, Bechtel, Booz Allen Hamilton, Cisco, Deutsche Bank, Hersheys, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, Motorola, SAS and Terra Lycos. Brightmail also provides spam protection for the leading Internet service providers, including AT&T WorldNet, EarthLink, MSN, TelstraClear, Telstra Wholesale, Primus Telecom, Xtra and Verizon Online. Brightmail now protects more than 300 million service provider customers, and 5 million enterprise email users worldwide. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Brightmail is a private, profitable company backed by world-class investors and partners. For more information, visit www.brightmail.com.
With the measures that spammers are taking today to disguise themselves and trick spam filters, the anti-spam fight is a continuous one we are constantly improving Brightmails best-of-breed software and exploring new technologies that will protect the integrity of e-mail, said Enrique Salem, president and CEO of Brightmail. Authentication and reputation technologies are the next important steps in securing the e-mail infrastructure, and we are excited to be working with Microsoft on its new Caller ID for E-mail technology. By combining verifiable identity with our Reputation Service, we will not only keep more spam out of users inboxes, but also provide a strong foundation for the future of e-mail security.
Anti-spam technologies now must not only deal with the vast volumes of spam, but also the increasingly devious methods used by spammers attempting to evade spam filters. Practices such as spoofing when a spammer sends e-mail purporting to be from someone its not are increasingly common, and can also pose significant security risks when used to deliver e-mail viruses. To continue stopping spam from flooding inboxes, filters now need additional information that is not available in e-mail messages today.
Authentication and reputation technologies are the first relatively simple but system-wide changes to the e-mail infrastructure that are needed to provide greater certainty about the origin of an e-mail message and to enable legitimate senders to more clearly distinguish themselves from spammers. Microsofts Caller ID for E-mail and other authentication standards are a critical first step to secure e-mail by authenticating the sender of the message; however, authentication alone is not enough. Only the combination of authentication with reputation will restore users trust in e-mail. Brightmail is working with Microsoft to ensure that the benefits of the Brightmail Reputation Service complements the Caller ID for E-mail to provide additional layers of security to enterprise e-mail systems.
Helping to ensure that e-mail remains a trusted communications tool for users is critical, said Ryan Hamlin, General Manager, Anti-Spam Technology and Strategy Group at Microsoft. The combination of Microsofts Caller ID for E-mail and Brightmails Reputation Service enables filters to more effectively prevent spam from reaching users inboxes and we are excited to work with Brightmail on anti-spam initiatives to protect the long-term viability of e-mail.
About Brightmail
Brightmail, the anti-spam market leader delivers anti-spam technology that makes messaging environments secure and manageable. PC Magazines EDITORS CHOICE for best enterprise anti-spam software, Brightmail Anti-Spam protects the email networks of businesses, government agencies, and service providers, blocking unsolicited bulk email, or spam, while assuring that legitimate mail is reliably delivered. Brightmail protects over 1,800 of the worlds leading enterprises, including Airbus, Avaya, eBay, Bechtel, Booz Allen Hamilton, Cisco, Deutsche Bank, Hersheys, Lucent Technologies, Microsoft, Motorola, SAS and Terra Lycos. Brightmail also provides spam protection for the leading Internet service providers, including AT&T WorldNet, EarthLink, MSN, TelstraClear, Telstra Wholesale, Primus Telecom, Xtra and Verizon Online. Brightmail now protects more than 300 million service provider customers, and 5 million enterprise email users worldwide. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Brightmail is a private, profitable company backed by world-class investors and partners. For more information, visit www.brightmail.com.