On the heels of its merger with Email Security, Webroot has launched its new E-Mail Security SasS service offering. The services lets companies outsource email security instead of handing those task in-house.

Webroot said that the new software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering includes antivirus, anti-spam, anti-phishing protection along with image filtering, content control, archival capabilities, and business continuity that helps protect against mail server down time.

A spokesperson for Webroot said that its email SasS offering can "protect against 98 percent of e-mail spam and 100 percent of known viruses. Additionally, Webroot’s content filtering and data archiving capabilities prevent against data loss and help to fulfill compliance and data storage requirements. Webroot also guarantees a 99.999 percent service availability to ensure that customers have access to a secure e-mail communications environment."

Webroot announced its merger with Email Security in November 2007 - a move that some industry analysts think will be significant. Brian Burke, Program Director at IDC, said that IDC expects worldwide spending on hosted messaging security services to reach $1.4 billion by 2011.