Device patrols border between Net and networks

With new worms hiding in Web sites and in images sent via e-mail, security company Blue Coat is touting an antivirus device that monitors the border between the Internet and company networks without slowing traffic.

Blue Coat's ProxyAV, released Monday, is designed to deliver up to 249mbps throughput for "real-time" virus scanning, helping enterprises prevent Web-based viruses from entering their networks, without creating a bottleneck, Blue Coat said.

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The new gear is designed to work with the company's ProxySG system, which reviews Web objects and sends some to the ProxyAV for scanning. ProxyAV scans the objects and sends them back to ProxySG for caching, so they can be reviewed more quickly the next time around, and repeated scanning can be avoided.

"The Proxy appliance is the key to implementing high-performance Web antivirus at the Internet gateway," Steve Mullaney, vice president of marketing for Blue Coat, said in a statement.

Web-filtering tools can help companies check virus intrusion at the gateway between a company's internal network and the wilds of the Internet. Another company, ServGate, recently began selling software designed to help customers block pop-up ads, dangerous Web sites and viruses borne by Web browsers.

Customers can use Blue Coat's Proxy setup with any antivirus software, such as products from McAfee and Panda Software, and can deploy a layered antivirus system across their companies.