AppRiver, LLC, a leading provider of e-mail messaging and Web security solutions, today introduced SecureSurf, a Web protection solution that leverages the best elements of DNS and proxy technology that provides fast and accurate defense against online threats. SecureSurf enables businesses of all sizes to effectively block websites carrying viruses and enforce corporate browsing policies.

As with other AppRiver services, SecureSurf is an easy-to-deploy hosted solution that protects companies against online threats by incorporating security information from a tapestry of sources, including its own award-winning spam filtering service. The SecureSurf process checks targeted websites against a continuously updated list of websites known to distribute malware or viruses, or that contain pornography and other objectionable content.

SecureSurf also allows companies to establish thorough Web surfing policies, monitor Web usage and create whitelists of known good sites. For those websites that appear to be somewhat suspicious, the service directs these sites to a hosted proxy server, which can conduct a rapid, detailed content analysis.

"SecureSurf is an elegant service that does not inhibit Web surfing and provides a comprehensive DNS lookup plus proxy approach to Web filtering," said Joel Smith, chief technology officer at AppRiver. "The DNS lookup eliminates the known bad sites, such as those that provide inappropriate content or deliver viruses, while the proxy further evaluates sites that might violate a company's policy. And for those sites, such as many social media destinations, we block only the elements that violate a company's policy."

SecureSurf offers a comprehensive set of features and functionality:

A decision by the DNS engine or a check by the proxy server. Unlike other Web filtering services that inhibit Web surfing performance by forcing all traffic through a proxy server, SecureSurf's DNS lookup engine can immediately determine whether or not a site violates a company's policy. Customers can set policies regarding sites that might be classified as containing some questionable content. These sites can be further evaluated through a hosted proxy server.Comprehensive policy settings and reporting. By accessing the AppRiver Customer Portal, customers can set specific parameters regarding their employee surfing habits, including the listing of known good websites that should be whitelisted. The portal also provides information on Web surfing trends, including which websites are visited the most.End-user agent for granular policy enforcement and reporting. SecureSurf customers can install an agent on individual machines to ensure each machine is configured for the most accurate website traffic evaluation, even if a user is working remotely or through a non-corporate network. The agent provides machine-by-machine reporting of Web surfing activities and can also confirm active safe surfing functionality on Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask search engines.Real-time security based on data from a number of sources. SecureSurf's DNS engine captures information about bad URLs from a number of sources, enabling the service to protect companies from emerging insidious sites. Among the tapestry of security sources is AppRiver's own spam protection service, since a high percentage of URLs within spam messages deliver viruses or malware.

"SecureSurf represents the true strategic business value of a hosted security service, along with a combination of website traffic evaluation methods to provide rapid, effective and comprehensive Web filtering," said Chris Brush, Web & IT Administrator, Kee Safety, Inc. "SecureSurf is an excellent solution and requires little in the way of corporate resources, particularly time, and it will not impact corporate Web performance."

Pricing and Availability

SecureSurf is available immediately. Companies wishing to deploy the enterprise version of SecureSurf should contact AppRiver at Sales@AppRiver.com. Pricing is affected by a client's configuration, but in its simplest form is per user.