Panda Security and Microsoft join forces to develop cloud-based antivirus security services on Windo

Panda Security, the cloud security company, and Microsoft have signed a collaboration agreement to develop cloud-based antivirus security services on Windows Azure. The new version of Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.0 is hosted in Windows Azure, a cloud platform designed to host, scale and manage Web applications. Windows Azure uses a set of privacy and security controls that ensure maximum protection of its hosted data and applications.

“The agreement with Microsoft has increased our management capabilities. It has provided us with virtually unlimited IT infrastructure and enhanced our dynamic adjustment capabilities,” said Pedro Bustamante, Senior Research Advisor at Panda Security.

According to Gonzalo Díe, Director of Platforms and Development at Microsoft Ibérica, “The agreement with Panda Security has strengthened Microsoft’s leadership in the cloud computing arena. We are delighted that Panda Security, the first IT security company to harness the power of cloud computing, has chosen Windows Azure to streamline the processes related to Panda Cloud Office Protection. This partnership shows our continued commitment to bringing the most innovative solutions to market.”

Panda Cloud Office Protection 6.0 is a cloud-based security service for PCs, servers and corporate laptops managed remotely from anywhere through its Web-based console.

The new release includes device control technologies that prevent the spread of malware through the improper use of external devices such as USB flash drives, digital cameras, DVDs and more. These controls will allow organizations to improve productivity by enforcing policies to deny access, force read-only access, or grant total access on multiple device types via a single Web-based console.

In addition, Panda Cloud Office Protection includes policies to block dangerous malware activity, self-protection against malware designed to damage or remove the antivirus, and real-time access to Collective Intelligence, offering one of the best antivirus solutions on the market today.

Migration to Windows Azure

Panda Security decided to migrate its new solution to Windows Azure to be able to manage an even larger number of computers, effectively deploy the service to new countries and prevent service downtime. Windows Azure has provided an adequate work environment and let the company maintain most of the technologies used in the original platform.

The main benefits offered by Windows Azure to Panda Security are:

Greatly reduces the time required to deploy a new product version.

Reduces operating and maintenance costs by up to 30 percent.

Improves certification and quality assurance processes, as it enables technicians to carry out tests in an environment equal to the production environment.

Improves user-perceived application performance.

The major components of the Windows Azure platform are the following:

Windows Azure. Windows Azure is a development, service hosting and service management environment that provides developers with on-demand compute and storage to host, scale and manage Web applications on the Internet through Microsoft data centers.

Microsoft SQL Azure. Microsoft SQL Azure is a cloud-based relational database service built on SQL Server 2008 technologies.

To download the free beta, please visit: http://www.pandasecurity.com/promotions/betatest/pcop

Network Communications (Pvt.) Ltd. is the sole distributor for Panda cloud antivirus guard in Sri Lanka