RSA Conference 2010 – Sunbelt Software has announced improvements to their VIPRE Enterprise line, and the inclusion of a new VIPRE product that offers an internal two-way firewall. The new move places Sunbelt in direct competition with other Enterprise players including Symantec and McAfee.
Sunbelt improves VIPRE product line with two Enterprise versions. (IMG:J.Anderson)
We sat down to talk with Sunbelt’s CEO, Alex Eckelberry, recently, who gave us a tour of the new features and the VIPRE line itself. If there is anything to be said, Eckelberry is proud of his company. Millions have been invested into its development and the backend stack that powers the infrastructure Sunbelt operates from.
Not content to simply purchase other code and mash it into a product, Eckelberry told us that the VIPRE line runs a bare-knuckle operation, and even the inclusion of something simple – like the new firewall – is a feature that took a good deal of consideration before it was moved forward.
“Many vendors have added layer upon layer of capabilities onto already bloated, outdated anti-malware engines in a flawed attempt to catch up. When we released VIPRE, we took a different approach,” said Eckelberry. The new VIPRE line, 4.0, has been designed entirely from the bottom up, using Sunbelts own code and R&D.
The bloat free style of development used by Sunbelt is the thing that keeps them apart from the other vendors and one of the main reasons thousands of Enterprise and SMB IT shops use them. In addition, this is also the reason other security vendors partner with them.
The revamp of VIPRE Enterprise starts with a new client agent with various improvements including enhanced 64-bit support and a scalable management console, which when we saw it was both easy on the eye and easy to navigate, while offering a solid amount of information. While VIPRE Enterprise is revamped, the core elements, Virus and Spyware protection, are all there. At the same time Sunbelt is releasing a Premium version of VIPRE Enterprise that adds IDS, IPS, HIPS, and Web filtering aimed at online threats.
The Premium version is what will place them in the running for larger Enterprise contracts. Instead of simply accepting the mash-up of code placed into various products, thanks to the larger vendors acquiring smaller companies, the hope is that the redesigned and bloat free defenses offered up by Sunbelt will prove to be all the leverage they need when they are at the table.
Depending on the version, Sunbelt will sell VIPRE Enterprise Premium on a per machine basis. Pricing includes the first year's maintenance and starts at $28.36 USD per seat for 100 workstations with a volume discount based on the number of machines. Customers on VIPRE Enterprise 3.1 who have an existing maintenance plan will receive the new VIPRE Enterprise 4.0 at no charge.
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