Trend's Management Console for Worry Free

Security vendor Trend Micro has added support for Mac users, data loss prevention capabilities and the ability to control access to USB devices to its SMB-focused Worry Free lineup.

With the launch of Worry Free 7 today, Trend is adding support (in its Advanced version) for Mac users using the same management console as its Windows-based protection. The new version also offers businesses the option to lock down USB ports on a managed computer and introduces e-mail data protection. Ian Gordon, director of marketing and channels for Trend Micro Canada, said the new functionality is increasingly expected for a small business space that’s facing the same kind of security threats as are larger businesses.

“There’s new malware out there every 1.5 seconds,” Gordon said. “It’s challenging to keep people protected when that’s the level of threat you have to work with.”

The sweet spot for Worry Free is in the 20-250 seat range, Gordon said, although the company has customers on the lineup with as few as five seats or as many as 1,000, depending on their needs.

The addition of Mac support comes at a time when Apple’s computer platform is making inroads in the business world, with as many as 4.5 million Macs coming into the business market worldwide over the last year. Apple has touted its products as largely malware-free, particularly when compared to Windows-based competitors, but Gordon said there’s no such thing as malware-free in a world of malware living on the Web.

“It’s not so much that Macs are more or less susceptible to malware,” Gordon said. “It’s just that nowadays, someone gets a link from an e-mail address they know, and it looks legitimate. They click the link and suddenly they’re participating.”

Other small-business security products also include Mac support, but Gordon said Trend Micro differentiates its Mac support in Worry Free by including managed Macs in the same central consoles as their PC-using counterparts, making it easier for small business to manage across platforms. Having that single console is especially crucial in the small business space, Gordon said, because of the lack of devoted security resources.

“The guy doing the IT is also the guy doing security in many cases, and they’re pretty tapped out,” he said.

The second big addition is e-mail-based data loss prevention, a feature borrowed from Trend Micro’s enterprise security products. Gordon said the new version of Worry Free allows administrators to filter against sensitive types of data, including credit card numbers of government identification numbers or any other data companies are interested in preventing leaving their own firewall. Gordon said the e-mail data loss prevention module works with both Exchange server and third-party suppliers, since many small businesses allow their users to access personal e-mail via the Web or their e-mail client of choice.

In the same group of functionality, the new release allows small businesses to set policy for USB storage devices to make sure corporate data doesn’t get out and malware potentially doesn’t get in. Administrators can opt to lock down USB altogether or can set read-only attributes

Like previous versions of Worry Free, including its hosted Worry Free Business Security Services offering, the new version reports back into the company’s Remote Management Console, aiding partners who are engaged in managed security services or other remote management scenarios. It also connects to the company’s real-time threat awareness network, helping make sure customers are protected from Web-based threats on a “right now” basis, Gordon said.

Trend Micro works with distributors Tech Data and Interwork Technologies in Canada. The company has a network of 3,000-plus partners in Canada selling its products into the business community.

Trend has long done business in Canada, but just began ramping up in-country operations earlier this year.