While not widely known, the core technology behind GWGuardian was not actually developed by The Messaging Architects. In fact, with the exception of four secondary add-on utilities (C1 Snapin, Alias Wizard, Webaccess Scanner and MailboxScanner). GWGuardian was a re-branded version of a product called modusGate which they licensed from a company called Vircom. See the following press release from 2002 for the details: http://www.serverwatch.com/news/article.php/1491451



GWAVA has entered into an agreement with Vircom, the developers of modusGate (licensed by Messaging Architects in 2002 and sold under its brand “GWGuardian”), to resell and support its product. GWGuardian has been sold by The Messaging Architects, however, they are now promoting a completely different, non-modusGate-based technology.



For those customers who prefer their exiting modusGate-based solution or regret having switched and would love to switch back, GWAVA is now offering a solution.



GWAVA is the new distributor of Vircom modusGate. For details, please our press release.



Current and former customers need only to contact GWAVA, purchase a one year modusGate subscription, and the customer will get a new license key and support from GWAVA. Also, GWAVA will honor the outstanding remainder of your GWGuardian, or M+Guardian subscription. For example, if you have 6 months left on your GWGuardian subscription, and if you purchase a 12 month subscription for modusGate, you will be provided with a 12+6 month (18 months) modusGate subscription, so you can immediately benefit from all the new features in modusGate 4.5 (you are probably running 4.3 and missing out on many new features). GWAVA is known for its top notch support team. Your anti-spam/virus system will continue working just as it has been only now with the biggest name in GroupWise software behind it.



If you know GWAVA, you know that we already have our own anti-virus and spam filtering solution—GWAVA4. Why would we offer a competing product to our own? Well, for one thing, we have been developing and selling multiple spam filters for years because we like to give our customers choices. Besides GWAVA4, we've been selling Guinevere and GWAVIX for many years. But why add a fourth spam filter in the form of Vircom modusGate?



GWAVA and Vircom recently announced a strategic alliance similar to one that competitors Novell and Microsoft announced a couple of years ago. As a result of the Novell/Microsoft alliance, Microsoft began to distribute copies of SuSE Linux. In the case of our partnership with Vircom, we're starting to distribute copies of modusGate. While Microsoft distributes SuSE Linux, they haven't stopped shipping Windows, and we although we are distributing modusGate to existing and former GWGuardian customers, we will continue to develop, sell and support our flagship GWAVA4 product.



Plus GWAVA offers a wide range of GroupWise products besides GWAVA4 such as Retain (archiving), Reload (disaster recovery), Redline (reporting) and Vertigo (provisioning). We are hoping as GroupWise channel partners, you will appreciate GWAVA’s great customer service and variety of products which provide a complete solution for GroupWise customers.



GWAVA4 works much differently than GWGuardian. GWGuardian is a subscription service that sits outside the email system and filters spam before it enters the GroupWise system. GWAVA4, a licensed software solution, takes advantage of the Novell GroupWise API and works within GroupWise to manage spam and viruses. Two valid solutions. Two different approaches.



Timeline



Here’s how modusGate has evolved over time:



The 1990s until now, Vircom develops and supports modusGate.



Autumn 2002, The Messaging Architect signs an agreement with Vircom to resell modusGate under their own brand name: GWGuardian. See their press release.



2008, The Messaging Architect terminates its agreement with Vircom and concentrates on selling a non-Vircom-based anti-spam/virus product called M+Guardian. Messaging Architects continues to support it's GWGuardian customers.



Summer 2008, GWAVA signs an agreement with Vircom to take over sales and support of modusGate for the GroupWise market. Vircom continues to enhance and develop modusGate. Version 4.5 is available today with 4.6 planned for release in Q4 2008.



How to Get Support From GWAVA for Your Customers

There are two different steps that customers can follow to update to the latest version of modusGate.



Assuming that you have a server currently running GWGuardian, in the first step, customers simply run a small utility that provides a new license key and swaps out some logos and icons. Their system will be exactly the same except for the logos (the software will be re-branded back to “modusGate”), and four secondary add-on utilities (C1 Snapin, Alias Wizard, Webaccess Scanner and MailboxScanner) that Messaging Architects included with GWGuardian. If you are currently on maintenance with The Messaging Architects, GWAVA will honor the current contract but you must pay for an additional year’s subscription. This means if you just updated your subscription a month ago, GWAVA will honor the next 11 months at no charge, but you need to purchase a 12-month modusGate subscription beyond the 11 months.



The second update is a major upgrade to the latest version, 4.5, of modusGate. Most GWGuardian customers are running 4.3 release of modusGate, so this update is more complicated and will require assistance from GWAVA and Vircom technical support. No need to worry though, we'll be walking you through the upgrade process at no additional cost.



Please contact your GWAVA sales representative for pricing and additional information.



GWGuardian and M+Guardian are trade marks of Messaging Architects Inc. GWAVA does not distribute or claim to distribute these products, nor to have any rights of any nature with respect to such trade marks or to any products being marketed in association therewith.