Email Security in the Cloud: More Secure, Less Expensive

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - May 20, 2010) -  Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), has drawn on the research findings from multiple benchmark studies on email security and security software as a service to show that users of cloud-based email security solutions had substantially better results than users of on-premise email security implementations in the critical areas of security, compliance, reliability and cost. Compared to companies using on premise email security solutions, users of cloud-based email security solutions reported 47% fewer incidents of spam and malware, 65% fewer audit deficiencies, 50% less security-related downtime, and 11% lower total cost per end-user per year for email security.

In light of the current market hype about cloud-based computing, Aberdeen is highlighting practical examples of cloud-based security services, starting with the number one use case for security software as a service: email security. Cloud-based email security solutions, or hybrid solutions that leverage intelligence from the cloud, can help to ensure that "what happens in the cloud, stays in the cloud" -- i.e., that spam and other email threats are eliminated before they touch the enterprise network, reducing risk and moving costs from the "not avoided" to the "avoided" category.

For each of the last three years Aberdeen has conducted benchmark studies on best practices in email security and security software as a service, and the use of cloud-based email security solutions showed the biggest increase over the previous year. "Aberdeen's analysis provides strong evidence that the jump to email security in the cloud is being led by the companies achieving top performance," noted Derek Brink, vice president and research fellow for IT Security, Aberdeen Group. "But history and experience tells us that one model is unlikely to prevail to the exclusion of all others. On the contrary, each buyer will make their selection for email security services based on their own unique sense of balance between factors such as security, compliance, total cost, and degree of ownership and control."

A complimentary copy of this report is made available in part with underwriting support from McAfee. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=6573&camp2.

For additional access to complimentary Information Technology research, please visit research.aberdeen.com.

To view complimentary 30-minute webcasts highlighting findings from this and other Aberdeen IT Security research, visit http://www.brighttalk.com/channels/1209/view.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

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