Webroot announced this week that will be teaming up with Email Systems, a software-as-a-service security provider, to deliver e-mail security services to enterprise users.

According to Webroot, the two companies will offer a comprehensive e-mail security service that will include such features as e-mail archiving, image scanning and encryption, antispam, antiphishing and antivirus services. Additionally, the service will provide Web security through http Web filtering and other Web-based communications. Webroot says that it will begin integrating its new e-mail protection services to its antispyware and antivirus programs.

"Our customers will now be able to easily engage a multilayered security strategy that includes industry-leading endpoint and SaaS-based perimeter security in a unique and integrated package," says Mike Irwin, COO of Webroot.

Email Systems has been providing e-mail protection and management services to businesses since 2002. Its current package of e-mail protection services includes custom filtering rules for content monitoring; end-to-end e-mail encryption that allows content checking; a disaster recovery mechanism that queues and buffers e-mails that have failed to connect to servers; and a filter that detects spam by continuously scanning unsolicited e-mails that are sent worldwide on a massive scale.

Email Systems CEO Neil Hammerton says that his company will benefit from Webroot's broader global reach, thus enabling Email Systems to reach a wider group of customers. He also notes that the two companies' products complement each other and that "we feel like we are poised to take full advantage of a technology sea change."

Brian Burke, a program director for security products at the IDC market intelligence firm, says he expects the use of hosted messaging security services such as Webroot's and Email Systems' to grow exponentially in the near future. Overall, IDC projects worldwide spending on hosted messaging services to nearly quintuple over the next four years, reaching US$1.4 billion by 2011.