Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab has partnered with ScanSafe to offer three hosted security services.

WebDefend includes scanning of HTTP traffic for malicious and potentially hostile programs and scripts using Kaspersky Anti-Virus and Kaspersky BitHunt, a system that provides early detection of IT threats.

WebControl blocks unwanted content and allows businesses to manage and enforce internet access policies, helping improve productivity and bandwidth utilisation.

ImDefend enables organisations to monitor employee use of instant messaging systems, such as AOL, Yahoo, ICQ and Windows Live.

After the network administrator makes minor changes to the network settings, all incoming and outgoing IM messages are filtered and controlled in real time, increasing the company's level of information security.

ImDefend also provides protection from malicious programs and spam distributed via IM.

"Email and browser vulnerabilities remain the main pathways used by malicious programs to penetrate computers," said Andrey Nikishin, director of Kaspersky Lab's IT security outsourcing services.

"In addition to these channels, malware writers are increasingly using new methods to make their way onto the computers of their victims. In 2006, IM systems were among the internet-related applications most vulnerable to infection.

"These new services will become a new line of defence against the most dangerous IT threats, and our customers will be able to surf the web or use IM with full confidence that they are absolutely secure."

As a fully managed service, the suite of hosted security services requires no hardware, maintenance or upfront capital costs. The new services will be available from 1 April.