IronPort aims messaging security appliance at SMBs

IronPort has traditionally focused on the enterprise market, but earlier this week the company introduced C10, a messaging security appliance focused squarely on small and midsize businesses.

Features of the C10 include the ability to be up and running in about 15 minutes using the system’s configuration wizard, good reporting capabilities, easy integration with e-mail systems already in place and the ability to obtain support from IronPort directly from within the administrative interface. This support, which is included in the price of the product, allows IronPort support personnel to view the C10’s configuration and even to modify the configuration remotely via a secure tunnel. The C10 takes advantage of IronPort’s SenderBase real-time threat prevention system and its Virus Outbreak Filter technology.

The C10 will be marketed strictly via IronPort’s channel partners and on IronPort’s Web site. IronPort’s new Web-based store features some nice capabilities, including the ability to spin around an image of the appliance, a feature more common on automotive Web sites. The C10 can be configured and purchased directly from the IronPort site and sells for $2,995 for up to 100 users and on a sliding scale for greater numbers of users up to about 1,000 seats.

The C10 is a good example of where many messaging security vendors have gone or will be going in the near future. The SMB market has a number of unique challenges compared to the enterprise market, including much higher costs for messaging on a per-user basis and fewer resources with which to manage messaging and messaging security systems, but with nearly the same severity of threats and other problems. The C10, particularly at its low initial price point and sales model, is certainly worth a look by SMBs.