Postini
Encyclopedia
Postini is an e-mail
and Web
security and archiving service owned by Google
since 2007. It provides cloud computing
services for filtering e-mail spam
and malware
(before it is delivered to a client's mail server), offers optional e-mail archiving, and protects client networks from web-borne malware.
founded in 1999 by Shinya Akamine, Gordon Irlam, Brian Maggi, and Scott Petry in Redwood City, California
, United States. It was backed by August Capital, with second-round funding from August as well as Summit Partners
Accelerator Fund and Sun Microsystems
. By February 2005, it was operating ten U.S. data center
s, processing 2.5 billion e-mail messages weekly, and providing anti-spam services for more than 4,200 companies and "6 million end users, including workers at Merrill Lynch
, Circuit City, Rayovac
, and Hormel Foods, the company that makes Spam
, the canned meat product." Later in 2005 it moved to nearby San Carlos, California
.
On 9 July 2007, Google announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Postini. Google spent $625 million in cash for the acquisition.
The former company's services are now marketed as "Google Postini Services."
In September 2011, Google announced it would discontinue a number of its products, including Google Web Security which was acquired by Google as part of Postini.
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
and Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
security and archiving service owned by Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
since 2007. It provides cloud computing
Cloud computing
Cloud computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices as a utility over a network ....
services for filtering e-mail spam
E-mail spam
Email spam, also known as junk email or unsolicited bulk email , is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email. Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. One subset of UBE is UCE...
and malware
Malware
Malware, short for malicious software, consists of programming that is designed to disrupt or deny operation, gather information that leads to loss of privacy or exploitation, or gain unauthorized access to system resources, or that otherwise exhibits abusive behavior...
(before it is delivered to a client's mail server), offers optional e-mail archiving, and protects client networks from web-borne malware.
History
Postini was a startup companyStartup company
A startup company or startup is a company with a limited operating history. These companies, generally newly created, are in a phase of development and research for markets...
founded in 1999 by Shinya Akamine, Gordon Irlam, Brian Maggi, and Scott Petry in Redwood City, California
Redwood City, California
Redwood City is a California charter city located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California, approximately 27 miles south of San Francisco, and 24 miles north of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans from its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people, to its tradition as a port for...
, United States. It was backed by August Capital, with second-round funding from August as well as Summit Partners
Summit Partners
Summit Partners is a growth equity investment firm focusing on a wide array of transactions from leveraged buyouts and recapitalizations to growth capital, venture capital investments, and mezzanine capital....
Accelerator Fund and Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
. By February 2005, it was operating ten U.S. data center
Data center
A data center is a facility used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems...
s, processing 2.5 billion e-mail messages weekly, and providing anti-spam services for more than 4,200 companies and "6 million end users, including workers at Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
, Circuit City, Rayovac
Rayovac
Rayovac is a brand of batteries owned by Spectrum Brands of Madison, Wisconsin, United States.- History :...
, and Hormel Foods, the company that makes Spam
Spam (food)
Spam is a canned precooked meat product made by the Hormel Foods Corporation, first introduced in 1937. The labeled ingredients in the classic variety of Spam are chopped pork shoulder meat, with ham meat added, salt, water, modified potato starch as a binder, and sodium nitrite as a preservative...
, the canned meat product." Later in 2005 it moved to nearby San Carlos, California
San Carlos, California
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA on the San Francisco Peninsula, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It is an affluent small residential suburb located between Belmont to the north and Redwood City to the south. San Carlos' ZIP code is 94070, and it is within...
.
On 9 July 2007, Google announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Postini. Google spent $625 million in cash for the acquisition.
The former company's services are now marketed as "Google Postini Services."
In September 2011, Google announced it would discontinue a number of its products, including Google Web Security which was acquired by Google as part of Postini.
See also
- List of acquisitions by Google
- Microsoft Forefront Online Protection for ExchangeMicrosoft Forefront Online Protection for ExchangeMicrosoft Forefront Online Protection for Exchange is a hosted e-mail security service, owned by Microsoft, that removes spam and viruses from e-mail messages. The service does not require client software installation, but is activated by changing each customer's MX record...