Panda Security and Microsoft Join Forces to Develop Cloud-based Antivirus Security Services on Windows Azure

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Security, The Cloud Security Company, and Microsoft have signed a collaboration agreement to develop cloud-based antivirus security services on Windows Azure. 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. A new version will be 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 free beta of Panda Cloud Office Protection is now available for download at http://www.pandasecurity.com/promotions/betatest/pcop.

Panda Security is migrating its new solution to Windows Azure to enable management of an even larger number of computers, effectively deploying the service to new countries and preventing 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 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 is a cloud-based relational database service built on SQL Server 2008 technologies.

"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 Die, Director of Platforms and Development at Microsoft Iberica, "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."

New Improvements to Panda Cloud Office Protection

The new release of Panda Cloud Office Protection 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.

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

About Panda Security

Founded in 1990, Panda Security is the world's leading provider of cloud-based security solutions, with products available in more than 23 languages and millions of users located in 195 countries around the World. Panda Security was the first IT security company to harness the power of cloud computing with its Collective Intelligence technology. This innovative security model can automatically analyze and classify thousands of new malware samples every day, guaranteeing corporate customers and home users the most effective protection against Internet threats with minimum impact on system performance. Panda Security has 61 offices throughout the globe with US headquarters in Florida and European headquarters in Spain.

Panda Security collaborates with Special Olympics, WWF and Invest for Children as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility policy.

For more information, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/.

About Microsoft Iberica

Microsoft Iberica is the Spanish subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation. Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the world's leading manufacturer of software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to help both the development of talented people and the potential of companies increasing their efficiency, productivity and competitiveness. http://www.microsoft.com/spain/prensa/.

SOURCE Panda Security