VeriSign moves into European security

Amid similar moves by rivals, VeriSign has started selling its email security services in Europe.

The security specialist announced on Wednesday that it is extending the market for its services, which are designed to provide automatic updates to eliminate email based threats and reduce time spent on email system management. The services have been available in the United States since June.

Souheil Badran, a VeriSign vice president, said the service is designed to help companies deal with the threat of spam and viruses.

VeriSign, based in Mountain View, California, is making its push into Europe as other software players are testing the waters there.

German giant SAP, for example, entered the European security market in December. SAP, which is a leader in business applications in Europe, announced recently it would review customers' business systems for security vulnerabilities and then deliver a detailed report of the flaws and suggested fixes.

VeriSign's service offers three layers of spam filtering, frequently updated scanning of threats via its three antivirus engines, and the ability for people to examine suspicious emails to assess their legitimacy.

Dawn Kawamoto writes for CNET News.com.