CipherTrust adds IM security to product line

CipherTrust on Monday introduced its IronIM appliance, entering an increasingly crowded market for instant-messaging security products. The new product, available immediately, lets businesses secure, log, monitor and encrypt enterprise IM communications, the company said in a statement. CipherTrust faces competition from companies including IM specialists Akonix Systems and IMlogic, which also sell appliances.

IronIM supports all popular consumer IM applications and corporate products such as Microsoft's Live Communications Server and IBM Lotus Sametime and does not require a new IM client, the company said. Pricing starts at $5,995. The product is intended to counter a barrage of IM security threats. The number of worms and viruses detected for IM and peer-to-peer networks rose 3,295 percent in the third quarter of 2005, compared with last year, according to a recent study.