IBM joins the anti-spam party

NEW YORK: International Business Machines Corp. said it is offering a service aimed at reducing e-mail viruses and spam for corporations, putting it in further competition with Microsoft Corp.

Armonk, New York-based IBM said the service aims to cut down the amount of time employees spend filtering out e-mails and spam and decrease the volume of e-mail in a company's system.

IBM's strategy is similar to that of Microsoft's "Trustworthy Computing" initiative, aimed at software security and launched in early 2002. The move underlines IBM's increasing competition with the Seattle software giant.

IBM has put its weight behind the Linux operating system, which is an open-source operating system that can be modified by software developers. It has gained traction against Microsoft's Windows operating system both in data centers and on desktop computers.

In the e-mail security service, which is designed to be used in addition to security software, IBM scans and monitors inbound and outbound e-mail outside of the customer network using filters to look for abnormal patterns that indicate viruses or unwanted images. IBM works with MessageLabs Inc. to deliver the service.

IBM said the pricing ranges from $1 to $2 per user for one service, $1.20 to $3 for two services, and $1.60 to $3.80 for three services, based on a 50-person user base.

© Reuters