UPDATED ISPs are starting to take the initiative when it comes to reducing the number of virus casualties and Telstra may be the first cab off the rank with an e-doctor service that will wipe out viruses before they hit the mailbox.
"It is the first time an ISP in Australia has taken the initiative to protect users," Trend Micro's marketing manager Andy Liou told ZDNet Australia.
Telstra Big Pond aims to provide users with virus-free e-mail by scanning it with Trend Micro technology before it is delivered into mailboxes. Unlike other ISPs that provide virus protection software, the service will take the scanning decision out of the hands of the end user entirely.
It is very much an ASP model at the minute and aimed at fairly large corporates, " to reduce the cost of ownership," a Telstra spokesperson said.
The client gets full access to Trend Micro's suite of scanning software linked to a control module on their LAN, which is monitored by Telstra 24x7.
"We are effectively the radar looking for viruses on the horizon," Telstra's spokesperson said.
Providing e-doctor to SMEs and the home user "is something we would like to explore," he added.
And with virus writers' code of conduct -- if there is such a thing -- plummeting to an all-time low recently when children were targeted using an animated Pokemon worm, Liou believes that virus protection should be enforced at ISP level.
"Kids are more likely to risk downloading without scanning. This type of service would stop the Pokemon virus before it gets to the mailbox," Liou said.
Liou pointed out that as the government has forced ISPs to provide filtering software, they too should be made to provide virus protection software.
"ISPs should be responsible for eradicating these types of virus threats," Liou said. "The number one concern on the Net is viruses, pornography doesn't spread and cause the same sort of damage [to technology]".
Telstra's e-doctor service has been in pilot phase since April 15 and is being used by Smorgen Steel amongst others. A full commercial rollout is expected in November.
