Symantec released on Monday a broad suite of software aimed at managing content ranging from e-mail to instant messages plus a new version of its Enterprise Vault archiving product.

The software suite, called Information Foundation 2007, wraps together several of Symantec's existing products that help administrators set policies and security concerning information flowing across their networks.

Internet Foundation includes licenses to use Symantec's Enterprise Vault, Mail Security 8300 Series Appliance Software, IM Manager, and Web Security for Microsoft's Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004 software, among others.

The software can scan e-mail content, archive instant messages and set retention policies of documents for compliance purposes, among many other features, the company said. It also include antivirus and antispam software.

Symantec said the product improves server performance through more efficient archiving, which reduces the amount of information on the server. Pricing starts at $95 per user per year with volume discounts available.

The company also released Enterprise Vault 7.0, a new version of its e-mail, file, IM and content archiving product. It adds support for Microsoft's Exchange Server 2007, said Fredrik Sjosted, senior manager for product marketing in Europe.

Enterprise Vault can also hunt through e-mail for specific keywords and categorize those messages according to a pre-set policy, which helps for compliance reasons, Sjosted said.

The new desktop search feature in Microsoft's Vista operating system, due for release on Monday, can also be used to search Enterprise Vault's e-mail archives, Sjosted said. Pricing was not immediately available.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.