Blue Coat embraces the cloud with web security offering

Web security firm Blue Coat Systems has launched a cloud-based security service offering superior real-time protection against malware and unsuitable content before it hits the network and protection for the growing number of mobile workers.

The Blue Coat Cloud Service has been architected in a modular way, so that companies can pick and choose the elements they wish via a subscription system.

The first is the Web Security Module which uses Blue Coat's WebPulse system to analyse and identify malicious sites alongside inline malware scanning to protect and categorise new web threats in real time.

Granular controls for social networking sites mean that organisations can block certain functionalities while benefiting from allowing staff to use such services.

Meanwhile, built-in reporting means that IT admins can easily see how many threats are attempting to access the network, and quickly identify end users that are infected with malware and trying to send sensitive or confidential information to malware servers.

The cloud-based offering will be particularly useful to firms with a significant number of mobile workers, according to Chris Christiansen, programme vice president for security products and services at IDC.

"The combination of rapidly evolving and sophisticated web threats and an increase in the number of remote workers is straining organisations struggling to secure their employees," he said.

"Security software-as-a-service solutions that can be deployed from anywhere and cover employees regardless of location offer agile and unique capabilities for solving these dual problems in an easy-to-manage and cost-effective manner. "

The cloud-based service is designed to extend Blue Coat's appeal outside its traditional enterprise customer base to smaller firms, and complements its existing range of web security appliances such as ProxyOne.