Barracuda delivers email filtering from the cloud

Barracuda Networks has unveiled a cloud-based email filtering service which customers can operate as an addition to the security firm's network security appliances or as a standalone subscription service.

Available now, the Barracuda Email Security Service protects incoming and outgoing emails against spam, viruses, worms, phishing and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, according to Barracuda.

Subscription pricing for the service starts at $800 (£515) per annum for 100 users.

Outsourcing spam and virus filtering to the cloud means that such threats are blocked before they even reach a customer's network, which saves on internet bandwidth as well as providing some DoS protection, Barracuda said.

In addition, it uses the huge compute capacity available in the cloud to offload the burden of scanning emails from a company's email server.

When the service is used with a Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall appliance, the latter offers more extensive facilities, such as more granular filtering policies, recipient verification and quarantine support.

However, Barracuda said that customers using email filtering as a pure cloud service will still benefit from full email filtering, user quarantine and multi-domain management.

"As email threats become more dangerous, customers are demanding more robust capabilities and greater flexibility in deployment options," said Barracuda chief executive Dean Drako.

Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall is available in eight models starting at $699 (£450) and as a virtual appliance running on VMware infrastructure with subscription prices starting at $849 (£545) a year.