F-Secure Joins Forces with MessageLabs to Provide Innovative Email Virus Scanning Solution

Partnership brings managed, outsourced anti-virus services to service providers

Espoo, Finland - September 18, 2000

F-Secure Corporation [HEX: FSC], a leading provider of security for mobile, distributed enterprises, today announced that MessageLabs, the ASP who provides centralised email security services through their network of Virus Control Centres (VCC), has chosen F-Secure's Security as a ServiceTM as one of the anti-virus solutions which operate on the VCC. The Virus Scanning Service provided by MessageLabs, offers complete, centrally managed and hosted email security applications to clients on a rental basis.

MessageLabs is using F-Secure Anti-Virus software as a key component in the Virus Control Centre, a centralised and dedicated anti-virus facility, which scans for viruses at the Internet level. The Virus Scanning service is available through Messagelabs partners and scans customers' incoming and outgoing mail with no discernible impact on delivery time. The VCC enables ISPs and other service providers to give their users 100% virus-free email without the cost and complexity of installing and managing dedicated anti-virus software.

The MessageLabs Virus Control service is currently available to all of UUNET's customers, as well as through other leading ISPs including Star Internet, KPN, and Internet Network Services (INS).

Jos White, marketing director at MessageLabs commented: "F-Secure's solution is excellent at virus detection and has the manageability and anti-virus capabilities we need to provide reliable scanning services to our partners and customers. It is now easier than ever to exchange information and the next big challenge is to ensure that this information is free of any damaging content."

The F-Secure Anti Virus Solution is installed on MessageLabs' high performance network. MessageLabs' Virus Control Centre checks every email using 4 anti-virus scanners, and proactively intercepts any infected message, notifying both the sender and administrator. According to MessageLabs, the Centre is capable of handling millions of emails per day with complete transparency to the end user.

F-Secure's Security as a Service gives service providers the opportunity to build a wide array of centrally managed security services based on the F-Secure Policy Manager infrastructure. The security services include F-Secure anti-virus, file encryption and network encryption. Service providers can offer any combination of these services to customers for a quarterly, monthly or annual fee.

Jason Holloway, UK General Manager for F-Secure said: "MessageLabs is leading the way in providing managed email security services to corporate customers through its advanced Virus Control Centre. We believe MessageLabs is breaking new ground in managed services, which will ultimately lead to data and VPN encryption being leased by customers as well as anti-virus services."

About MessageLabs

MessageLabs is an Application Service Provider (ASP) specialising in centrally hosted and managed email filtering services. The company's flagship product is the Virus Control Centre (VCC) which comprises a high performance network of email processing engines each capable of responding instantly to the threat of a new virus. The VCC network infrastructure currently covers the UK, Benelux and Germany, and scans email for over 200,000 users. Ambitions expansion plans include rolling out the infrastructure into other key European markets and the US during the last quarter of this year.

MessageLabs received world-wide recognition for stopping and naming the 'Love Bug', and protecting all its own customers, ten hours before an official fix was publicly available. The company has recently announced its development plan for a fully operational Email Control Centre (ECC) which will allow business users to outsource the control of email delivery and policy for the first time. This service will enable Service Providers to protect their customers from further threats such as malicious and sensitive content, defamation and porn before they cross corporate boundaries.

The MessageLabs Virus Control Centre service is sold principally through Service Provider partners who include UUNET, Star Internet, INS and KPN. Part of the Star Technology Group, MessageLabs was established in January 2000.